


Beyond The Stars

by DeliciousDanish



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alien Planet, Alternate Universe - Space, Child Abuse, Cussing, Explicit Language, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Past Sexual Abuse-Side Character, Slow Build, Terminal Illnesses, These tags make it sound so sad :(, trigger warning for emetophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2019-11-19 00:44:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 50,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18128711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeliciousDanish/pseuds/DeliciousDanish
Summary: Ryuji’s two years out of graduating from the Colony Defense Force program when he gets his first real assignment in deep space. It’s not something in his field as a fighter pilot, he’ll basically be acting as a glorified ambulance driver. If he can pull it off, in a year he can put in for a transfer. It might be his only chance. He’s never been good at following the chain of command and he doesn’t shine academically, but he knows ships. He knows how to fly them, build them, repair them. It’s the only reason he was able to get into the program in the first place. It’s the only thing he’s good at.He’s surprised when someone takes notice, especially when that someone is Commander Akira Kurusu. The man is the youngest war hero in Earth Colonies history. He was there during the fall of Shido, when the entire planet was wiped off the map. Now he’s a walking poster child for the Alliance of Emergency Medical Services, AMES. He leads a specialized team that travels from planet to planet, offering aid where it's needed. It’s the complete opposite of everything Ryuji was trained to do, but he’s finding it impossible to say no. Especially when he’s going to be serving under such an attractive commander.





	1. Act. 1.1

**Author's Note:**

> A P5 ProtagonistXRyuji fic of a different flavor. 
> 
> I have been thinking about this AU for MONTHS. Writing things out in my head, planning out the plot, dreaming up all the romance scenes. I fought the urges to write it, still not finished with my other Persona 5 fic, but I'm not good at resisting the siren call. 
> 
> This one will be quite different from the other fic, written in a style that I find much more expressive! I hope all my old readers and new ones enjoy it! 
> 
> I know Tumblr isn't the most popular place for fan content after the big porn purge, but I have a pretty active P5 blog over there if you'd like to [follow it.](https://ravenchaitea.tumblr.com/)

On the Earth colony planet of Kamoshida, the sun is going down, bathing everything in a honey-orange glow. Acres of tall yellow grass grow up from the ground. The stalks roll like waves, stirred up by a mild evening breeze. Ryuji Sakamoto sits on the hood of his silver hover car, hands folded neatly behind his head as the last light of day bakes heat into his skin. He strains to keep his eyes open, drifting in and out of a lazy afternoon nap. It’s one of the few moments he’s had to himself since spring ended.  

They say Kamoshida is the closet of the Earth colony planets to resemble Old-Earth. It’s the only planet in the sector to have a true four season cycle, making it ideal for growing most Earth staples. The planet’s major export is its crops, providing more than half of the colonies’ food supply. The entire population of the Kamoshida colony is involved with the farming efforts, growing, selling, or packing. Ryuji’s family happens to be fifth generation bean growers.  

He opens his eyes and lifts his hands up in front of his face, studying his oil-stained fingers. He’s supposed to be working on his hovercar but he can’t muster up the energy. Between school and chores, his free time has been limited. This is to say nothing of the spring sowing and all the extra chores that came with that. Their farm is one of the smallest in the area and he’s always been expected to help wherever he can. His father won’t tolerate laziness. Any time spent working on his car definitely falls into that category.    

He’s been putting on the finishing touches for weeks, pushing himself towards the goal of being able to take it out. Although ‘out’ is a bit of an overstatement. He won’t legally be allowed to take it anywhere besides ground streets for two more years. Air flight is restricted to the eighteen and up crowd. Despite that, he figures two years is nothing compared to the four it’s taken him to get it all put together. It was little more than an empty chasse full of scraps when he brought it home from the junkyard. A fact his father continues to lord over him every chance he gets, even with all the progress he’s made on it.  

He’s poured all his monthly allowance into buying parts and making needed repairs. What he couldn’t afford, well-… He figures it’s all stuff that won’t be missed. It needs fresh paint and to have the chrome touched up, but there’s time for that later. Having a ground vehicle will at least get him away from the house on weekends. Plus there’s a point of pride to be had in being the only one in his circle of friends with a car.  

His hazy mind is busy going over possible paint combinations when he catches himself dozing off for real. He allowed himself to be lulled into sleep by the darkening sky and the warm pre-summer air. He forces his eyes open and glances up, able to see the beginning of stars among the pale pink hues of atmosphere. His body is bone tired and for a few more minutes he lies still, fatigued from weeks of not getting enough sleep. He thinks it odd that someone of his age should feel so run down. There’s no time to dwell on that though. His mother will be finishing up dinner and he’s expected to be home to set the table.

He slides down off the hood and begins the short walk through the fields to get back to the house. When he emerges from the sea of tall grass he sees his father’s truck in the driveway. It’s an instant disappointment. Friday nights are usually the night his father stays in town after work to have a drink and 'catch up with the boys’. It’s a rarity for him to forego bar time for family time. Ryuji crosses the yard at a slow pace, dragging his feet to stave off the inevitable. The thought of sitting down to eat with his drunkard father is more than he can stand.  

As he’s approaching the house his wristwatch display lights up, receiving an incoming call. He pauses just off the porch to answer it, waiting for the video connection to buffer. The eager expression of his longtime friend and classmate Takeishi appears on the screen.  

“What’s up?"  

"We still on for tonight?” Takeishi asks and the question throws Ryuji for a moment. Had they made plans? He thinks they might have made plans. “Y'know. Captain Kidd’s ship. Parked at the shipyard."  

"Oh shit,” Ryuji breathes as his chest lights up with excitement. “Man, I totally forgot about it."  

"How the hell did you forget?"  

"Spring sowin’, remember? We’ve gotta get the fields resown before summer rolls around. I’ve been busy."  

Takeishi studies him for a moment, eyebrows furrowing in concern, "You good?"  

"I’m okay,” Ryuji assures him. It’s not exactly a lie, at the moment he’s fine. He’s tired. Worn down from weeks spent working in close quarters with his father. From trying to meet the man’s impossible expectations. “We’re meetin’ at midnight in old man Iwai’s cornfield, right?. Hope you and Nakaoka don’t bail on me this time."  

"I wasn’t the one who bailed."  

"I’m serious, man. If you guys don’t show I’m goin’ in alone."  

"We’ll be there.” Takeishi insists though it does nothing to diminish Ryuji’s doubt. “See ya."  

"Yeah.” Ryuji sighs, tapping the end call button. Inside he can hear his father’s voice. It’s more the tone than actual words and he already sounds riled up about something. He ascends the porch stairs and presses himself against the wall beside the front door. He’s trying to give himself a moment of composure before he goes in.

He doesn’t want to deal with this right now.  

“Hey,” He calls out as he pushes the front door open. From his vantage point, he can see into the kitchen. His mother is standing with her back against the counter and her arms crossed over her chest. She widens her eyes at him, a silent warning for him to tread cautiously. He kicks his shoes off and nudges them into neat alignment by his father’s work boots. He crosses the living room and turns the corner to his father seated at the dining table.  

“The hell you been?” The older man demands, swinging one of his worn hands towards the table. “I come home from bustin’ my ass and your mother can’t even get dinner on the table because you’re off god knows where."  

"Yes sir,” It’s less of an agreement and more of a neutral answer. Ryuji knows he’s already on thin ice and he’s not about to make things worse by arguing.

“Welcome home,” His mother offers, a subtle change in the conversation. He hates this. Friday night dinners are usually their thing. It’s the one night of the week they don’t have to tiptoe around his father.  

“Go ahead and sit down, Ma,” Ryuji insists, guiding her towards the table. He washes his hands clean at the sink and gathers the plates from the cabinet. He has to reach around his parents to set the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see his father watching him. He’s looking for a reason to yell at him again. Wordlessly Ryuji serves the food and grabs his father a bottle of beer from the fridge. On his way to his chair, he sets a light hand atop his mother’s shoulder hoping to reassure her. She pats his fingers lightly in acknowledgment. The whole exchange is missed by the man at the head of the table as he pries the lid off his beer and takes a long drink of it.

Ryuji watches in silent disgust as some of the foamy liquid pools at the side his father’s mouth and runs down his chin. His entire face looks like well-worn leather. It’s creased and tanned by his many long days working in the fields. He runs equally aged fingers across his spotty stubble covered chin, wiping the beer away in an almost thoughtful gesture. He sets the bottle down and clears his throat before taking up his utensils to begin the meal. Neither Ryuji nor his mother dares to start eating before he does, lest they affront him.  

“Spring harvest was profitable this year,” He announces, sounding almost on the verge of pride. There’s no doubt in Ryuji’s mind that his father spent most of his day in town stroking his own ego. Beans are not a big spring crop and their farm has been mostly dormant since winter. That doesn’t stop Ryuji’s father from acting as if the entire town’s spring harvest is his own personal success story. 

“Ryuji,"  

"Yeah?” He’s surprised by his father’s calm use of his name. He sets his fork down beside his plate and lifts his eyes up to meet the older man’s. They’re the color of a stormy ocean, dark, cold, and dimly glazed over from the alcohol. Ryuji’s always been thankful that he got his mother’s brown eyes. He hopes that they somehow make him look more like her and less like his dad.    

“Y'worked real hard these past couple months. Don’t think I didn’t notice."  

"Uh, thank you,” Ryuji replies, feeling his guard go up and his hands curl into fists on reflex. It’s not often that the man offers him praise and it usually doesn’t come without strings attached. His father rises to his feet, his body swaying under the effects of the alcohol. The half beer that sits on the table is a pallet cleanser for whatever hard stuff he drank before coming home. It’s a wonder he was able to drive without causing an accident. Sometimes Ryuji wishes he would crash. It’s not malicious but out of a desire to keep him off the road and away from other people. It’s easy to picture his father drunkenly swerving in front of somebody else’s family.  

His stomach lurches at the thought, the feeling intensified by the sudden approach. The man stands over him like a tree shadow, blocking out the kitchen lights. It casts darkness over him. He turns his head upwards to meet his father’s eyes. He strains to keep a straight face as the scent of alcohol on his father’s breath wafts down over him like a heavy fog. The older man smiles a grin of yellowing teeth and brings his hand down to clap over Ryuji’s shoulder. He flinches away, a sharp jerk of his muscles that’s more memory than anything else. The reaction doesn’t go unnoticed.  

“The fuck, Ryuji?” His father breathes, training his callused fingers up the back of Ryuji’s neck to grip a handful of his hair. Across the table, his mother sits up straighter in her chair. Her body is tense with nerves as she prepares to intervene. Ryuji prays that she doesn’t, wills her to sit still and stay quiet. “I’m not gonna hit you."  

He definitely would, and has.  

"I was gonna say,” He continues, gripping his hair a bit tighter, bordering the point where it becomes painful. Ryuji takes measured breaths to force his body to relax and like a cue, it eases his father’s hold on him. Almost affectionately he runs his weathered fingers up through the top of his hair to tussle it. “-that since you helped out so much, I’ll give you a bigger allowance this month so you can get your car fixed up."  

"Really?” Ryuji forces enthusiasm into his voice because he needs to act accordingly. “Thank you. I appreciate that."  

"I’ve never been prouder. Makes me think you’ve got more than shit for brains after all. Might have someone worthy of passing the fields down to someday."  

Ryuji pointedly ignores the insult.  

His father turns unsteadily on his toes and almost falls over in an attempt to seat himself. He shakes it off and returns to his food. Ryuji and his mother follow suit and for the rest of the meal, he’s forced to avoid his mother’s concern filled eyes. His father continues to ramble, making small talk and bad mouthing his bar friends. It’s a one-sided conversation. He’s too drunk and too into his rant to notice that no one’s paying attention to him.  

Ryuji continues to mindlessly force food into his mouth, though he can’t taste it anymore. Twice he has to pause to keep it from coming back up, his stomach so tied into knots that it’s making him nauseous. He doesn’t have to suffer for very long, his father begins to doze in and out of consciousness at the table. His mother stands and coaxes her husband to his feet. She leads him down the hallway to their bedroom, guiding his wobbly footsteps the entire way. Ryuji turns his attention to clearing the table and putting the leftovers away.  

It’s half past ten when his mother emerges from the bedroom, looking exhausted and frustrated. She enters the kitchen and makes a beeline for the fridge. She almost rips the handle off the freezer door as she yanks it open. Ryuji grabs two spoons from the silverware drawer and waits while she chooses a flavor of ice cream.  

"Feels like a mint chocolate chip sort of night,” She mumbles, to herself more than anyone. The two of them sit side by side at the table, sliding the pint back and forth, eating in silence. Ryuji thinks it would be comical if it wasn’t also so damn sad.  

“Hey,” Ryuji begins, watching as she carves out a large spoonful of ice cream for herself. She glances up at him, prompting him to continue as she tries to find a way to fit the entire oversized scoop into her mouth. “I’m gonna go hang out with Nakaoka and Takeishi tonight."  

"Mmm,” She muses, raising her eyebrows in a clear question of 'Oh yeah?’.  

“It’s not a school night and I’m pretty sure that he,” -the drunken idiot in the bedroom, “isn’t going to wake up anytime soon."  

"It’s getting pretty late."  

"You really gonna try and pull the curfew thing on me?”

Narrowing her eyes, she points her spoon threateningly in his direction, “It’s my right as a mother."  

"I have to get out of here. At least for a little while,” He presses, glancing over his shoulder towards their bedroom door. “If you let me go out, you can lay down in my room and get some decent sleep. We can swap beds when I come back." 

"Where are you going exactly?"  

"We’re gonna troll around old man Iwai’s corn field. Might go down to the lake or somethin’."  

"I hope you realize you’re going to have to learn to lie better,” She sighs. She takes her spoon and begins to scrape at the bottom of the ice cream carton, hoping to get one final bite out of it. “Fine, but you need to be back before sunrise. And I mean  _before_  sunrise.”

“I will be,” Ryuji swears, leaping to his feet with a sudden surge of new energy. He takes the stairs up to his room two at a time, though his footsteps are measured and quiet. He’s not about to risk waking his father up, even though he knows that the man is out for the night. He gathers his backpack and throws his tools into it. Screwdrivers, wrenches, portable laser torch, he runs through a quick mental inventory to make sure he has everything.  

He grabs his ComTab off his bed and sends a quick text message off to his friends to remind them of the time and place. He tosses the tablet into his backpack and tiptoes rapidly back downstairs. His mother gives him an uneasy look as he brushes past her on the way out the door. Despite himself, he can’t stand for her to be disappointed in him. As an act of good faith, he doubles back for a hug and promises once again to be back before sunrise.

He slips out the front door and sails over the porch steps and down the driveway. Old man Iwai’s cornfield is a few miles down from his house. The night air is crisp and clear, it’s temperature situated in the middle of warm and cool. It’s the perfect atmosphere for a run. Sometimes Ryuji thinks he was born for it. He should have joined the track team with Nakaoka and Takeishi, but he knew it would be one more thing for his father to play against him. Still, it’s a favorite past time to turn to when things get bad at home.  

It doesn’t take him long to fall into a steady rhythm of feet on dirt road. The roads are from the early days of the colony, back when vehicles had actual wheels. Once hover crafts became the norm, the roads became more of a guideline for those who preferred to drive closer to the ground. Ryuji himself can’t imagine wanting that. He’s been dreaming of air flight since he was young. This is due in part to his admiration of Captain Kidd.  

Captain Kidd, like Ryuji, is from the colony of Kamoshida. Something of a local celebrity, he started his career as a well-known stunt pilot. Later he joined up with the Colony Defense Force and within a few years became captain of his own crew. They traverse the galaxy to fend off threats from hostile planets. Ryuji’s been obsessed with him ever since the first broadcast of his trick flying. He’s collected every holo-vid he could find and has spent hours watching them. The flips and spins are burned into his memory. Even as he jogs he can visualize it.  

It’s the reason behind his meeting with Takeishi and Nakaoka. There’s a rumor that Captain Kidd is in town visiting his family and that his famous stunt ship is with him. According to the rumor he’s even parked it at the local shipyard. Ryuji isn’t sure if he believes it, but he’s not about to pass up an opportunity to find out. He’s broken into the shipyard before to collect discarded parts or to look at the ships and cars. It’s almost a joke that Captain Kidd would want to store his trick craft there.  

Their meeting place is on the far end of the Iwai cornfield, where the crops end abruptly and give way to an open flatland. He glances at the time on his watch, ten till midnight. He’s the first to arrive, that is if his friends decide to show up. The last time they planned something like this the two boys bailed out, leaving Ryuji waiting for hours. Although, the mission to sneak into Ann Takamaki’s sixteenth birthday party was a little less dire than their current plan.  

It’s almost midnight on the dot when Takeishi and Nakaoka arrive, stepping free of the tall corn stalks. Takeishi is full of smug arrogance, hands tucked casually into his pockets, head held high. He’s always been a bit full of himself, though it’s a facade that always seems to crack when things become dicey. Nakaoka is reserved and somewhat nervous. He tries to be the voice of reason for the other two, but his words often fall on deaf ears. He frequently gets dragged into Ryuji and Takeishi’s schemes. Although on this particular night, even he seems to be somewhat excited.  

“Told'ya we’d be here.” Takeishi steps over to Ryuji and the two of them bump fists. Their knuckles crack together in a way that feels very manly.  

“I was about to go without you,” Ryuji shoots back, hoisting his backpack further up onto his shoulders. “If I had any sense I would'a."  

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and start walking, Sakamoto."  

Ryuji is all too happy to fall into the role of leader, moving with confidence over the large expanse of flat land. Kamoshida’s twin moons gleam overhead. They light the way as he guides them along a well-memorized path.  

Before they can get to the local shipyard they have to pass Kamoshida Commercial Shipyard. It’s a literal metal city where all the off-world space ships dock. It’s one of the larger ones on the planet, a center of commerce for all imported and exported goods between the colonies. Twice a month huge ships dock there to load or unload, staying only a few brief days before departing again.  

As they near the yard, bright overhead beams of light come into view. Steel rafters rise up like metal giants, dotted with high rising staircases and elevators. Skyscraper buildings intermingle with the docks, full of places for ship crews to spend their shore-time. It all feels very exclusive, surrounded all on sides by thick metal walls. They’re designed to keep foreigners inside and locals outside. A huge impenetrable fortress in the middle of miles and miles of farmland.  

It’s not their destination, but every time Ryuji passes by it, he has to stop to take it all in.  

"Wouldn’t it be badass to go off world?” He breathes, turning his head around to look at Takeishi and Nakaoka. The two of them look just as awestruck, maybe more-so, since this isn’t a common sight for them.  

“Those ships are huge,” Nakaoka says, stepping up next to Ryuji. “I mean, I knew they were huge. They have to be to carry so much stuff, but I guess I didn’t have a scale for it before now."  

"My dad works down on dock 37. He says that they’re even bigger up close. Bigger than the buildings in the capital," says Takeishi, then adds as an afterthought, “I think about leaving this shitty planet all the time, but let’s get real here. The only way any of us are going to make it off is if we join the defense force or the medical brigade. We’re all too stupid for that."  

"Maybe you’re too stupid. I bet I could get in. Sakamoto could get in if he got real good at fixing ships."  

"Yeah, you’re probably right. He’d get himself a job doing custodial work or something."  

"I would not!” Ryuji protests, although they might be right. The only way he’d ever get off Kamoshida is if he got a crappy job on a transport ship. Although the alternative as a bean farmer isn’t exactly appealing either. “Maybe I need to become a trick pilot like Captain Kidd."  

"What? You’d never be able to pull that off.” Takeishi laughs the words into his face and Ryuji feels his blood heat up under his skin.  

“Why not?"  

"Sakamoto, you got beans for brains? The only thing you’ve ever  _piloted_  is a wheel-tractor. You don’t even have your car up and running. What makes you think you’re going to be able to do flight tricks?"  

"Guys, let’s just go.” Nakaoka intervenes right as Ryuji opens his mouth to reply. “If you guys get into a fight we’ll never make it to the shipyard to see the ship. So let’s just go."  

"Fine,” Ryuji concedes for the moment, knowing that Nakaoka’s right. He ignores Takeishi for the rest of the trek.  

The local public shipyard is a much less impressive sight. It’s a large flat patch of concrete surrounded on all sides by a well worn and rusted chain link fence and an unfathomable amount of weeds. It’s mostly a glorified parking lot with a few hangars on the far end. There’s even a small collection of Old-Earth style vehicles, camper trailers, and trucks. Most of them are covered in thick layers of dust and surrounded by grass that pushed up through cracks in the concrete.  

“Where do you think he parked it?” Takeishi steps up to peer through the fence, or rather over the fence. It’s so old and weak that it halfway hangs off of its support poles. “Inside one of the hangars?"  

"If it’s in a hangar, there’s no way we’ll be able to get in to see it,” Nakaoka mumbles, giving into defeat before they’ve even made it inside. How very typical of him.

“I’ve broken into this place to collect parts for my car,” Ryuji says, stepping up to the fence beside Takeishi. He shifts his backpack around to the front and digs through it until he finds his portable laser torch. “Security is an old guy who falls asleep watchin’ the monitors and outdated patrol robots. I don’t think the keypads on the hangars work and even if they do I’m sure I can disable them. They’re simple coded panels."  

"Since when did you become a hacker?” Takeishi challenges, though there’s a touch of admiration in his voice.  

“Not that kind of code, like a number combination. It’s less hackin’ and more… Cuttin’ wires.”  Ryuji grabs hold of one of the fence supports. He flicks the torch on and cuts through the small pieces of metal holding the fence up. The panel collapses the rest of the way down into the grass and the three boys clamber over it. Ryuji breathes a sigh of relief. They’re finally in, all that’s left is to find the ship. “Stay close to me and keep your voices down.”

The three of them make slow but steady progress through the shipyard, avoiding motion sensors and cameras. Ryuji knows the layout of the complex like the back of his hand and he continues to lead his friends onward. They’ve almost reached the long line of hangars when Ryuji hears the unsteady approach of a security robot. He motions for the other two to get down and follow him up under one of the Old-Earth vehicles. They’re packed together like sardines and every time Ryuji shifts he’s poked by bramble weeds that grew up under the truck’s front end.  

Nakaoka’s nervous breathing stirs the hair on the back of Ryuji’s neck. It’s the only sound outside of the approaching patrol robot. The tread on its tires is almost non-existent and it bounces violently over every crack and dip in the concrete. It stops beside their hiding place and begins to run it’s scanner down over the side of the vehicle. Blue light beams down into their eyes and Nakaoka stops breathing entirely. The robot lets out a soft crackle of static before turning to wheel away.  

“This is a bad idea. We should leave.” Nakaoka insists as the three of them crawl free of the undercarriage of the truck.  

Ryuji resists the urge to roll his eyes, instead offering words of encouragement, “We’re almost there. It’ll be another half hour before the robots make it back over here."  

"We can’t go back,” Takeishi adds, though his words are anything but soothing. “You can’t wuss out on us now. Not when we’re this close. Grow a pair already!"  

"Come on,” Ryuji is tempted to ditch them both, tired of their theatrics, but Takeishi is right for once. They’ve come too far and there’s no going back. They begin scoping out the hangars, peering in small side windows to check the inside for the ship. They’re almost to the last one when Ryuji finally spots it, an unmistakable outline. Grinning ear to ear, he waves to his friends and they join him at the window. “In here!”

“No way,” Takeishi laughs, slapping Ryuji jovially on the back. “I didn’t think we were gonna find it."  

"Kinda pissed that you two doubted me."  

"Let’s get in there to get a closer look."  

"I’m on it.” Ryuji slips around the side of the hangar to the entry door while Takeishi and Nakaoka keep watch. It doesn’t take him long to pry the panel off so that he can access the wires. He snips through the alarm wires and then gets to work on the ones that control the lock. He shifts them from connection to connection until he hears the lock click open inside the door. “Guys, come on."  

"Sakamoto, you’re such a badass.” Takeishi raves as they enter and the compliment fills Ryuji’s chest with pride. He’s the first one who approaches the cruiser. He runs his fingers admiringly over its sleek navy blue paint. The chrome accents along the front and sides are gleaming, perfect mirrors that reflect Ryuji’s wonder-filled eyes. The other boys join him and the three of them circle the cruiser like sharks, drooling over every last detail. “Alright, now that we’ve looked at it, let’s start it up."  

"Whoa, what?” Ryuji glanced at Takeishi, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “What do you mean start it up?"  

"Well you’re good at hot-wiring things, right? So get in there and start it up."  

"For real? I can hotwire the crappy hover cars parked in town, but this is a really high-class ship. It’s got to have a whole computer devoted to an alarm and protection system,” He says it as if he doesn’t already know. He does know. He knows everything about it.  

“C'mon, Sakamoto. I know you lay in bed at night fapping to ship schematics."  

"The hell?!"  

"Jerkin’ it to all those Captain Kidd posters you’ve got.”

"Takeishi, I swear-…"  

"Moaning his name when you cum."  

"I’ll do it if you shut up,” Ryuji growls. He swings his backpack down to the ground and kneels over it. He knows there’s nothing in his bag that could possibly work on such an advanced ship. He’s got to at least try for the sake of his dignity. It isn’t enough for Takeishi that Ryuji brought them to the shipyard and broke into the hangar, no, he’s always got to push things too far.  

“Ryuji, don’t.” Nakaoka implores him. “Guys, this is stupid. We should go. There’s no way Ryuji could hotwire a craft like this."  

"Let him work.” Takeishi snaps, beginning an argument between the two. Ryuji ignores them as he approaches the stunt ship, heart pounding with nervous anticipation. He never dreamed he would ever see it up close and in person and it’s better than any photo he’s ever seen. He lightly runs his hand over the lock panel, surprised when it opens up to reveal-… An Old-Earth style key lock? This isn’t what Ryuji’s expecting.  

Most high-class ships and cars are programmed with fancy identification software. Usually, that means voice recognition or palm and iris scanners. To see something so archaic on Captain Kidd’s stunt ship is both amusing and fortuitous. Ryuji can pick old style car locks without even having to think about it. He pulls his tools from his bag and gets to it. He presses his head against the hull, listening for the pins inside the lock.  

“He’s got this,” Takeishi whispers, earning a sharp look from Ryuji.  

“Don’t talk,” He commands, straining his ears to move the final pin out of the way. The lock clicks and then turns and with a soft whoosh of air, the door to the ship begins to fold down. Ryuji’s eyes bulge as he realizes what he’s done. The lights inside the cruiser flick on, bright white LEDs that make the interior shine like the gates of heaven. Without even thinking about it, Ryuji steps forward to climb the stairs and enter the craft.

Takeishi and Nakaoka bumble up after him, but he hardly notices that they’re there. His wonder and excitement have dimmed upon seeing the craft’s interior. Although the outside of the ship for all the world resembles the trick craft, the inside is that of a basic hover car. It’s even got cup holders and a console. It dawns on Ryuji that Captain Kidd’s trick ship likely isn’t street legal. The vehicle they’re sitting in now is either his civilian car or a really really good fake that someone made.  

“It’s not the right one,” Ryuji explains lamely, turning to glance over his shoulders at his friends. Nakaoka is wearing a similar mask of disenchantment, but Takeishi on the other hand-… Anger flares to life inside of Ryuji’s chest, he realizes he’s been baited. “You knew.”

“C'mon Sakamoto. You didn’t actually think that Captain Kidd would drive his stunt ship into town, didya?” Takeishi gloats, his grin wide with amusement. Sometimes Ryuji wonders why they’re friends. Why he even bothers spending time with someone who acts the way Takeishi does. It’s likely all close proximity, they certainly wouldn’t have met by any other means. “My dad says Captain Kidd’s got a regular hover car made up all nice like his stunt ship. I knew he’d probably park it out here."  

"You’re such a friggen asshole."  

"I never said it was the actual ship, you just assumed that."  

"You brought us out here for this?!” Even Nakaoka’s upset, a rarity for him. Normally he’s immune to all the usual bullshit that Ryuji and Takeishi drag him through. It makes Ryuji feel even worse knowing that his own anger is justified in Nakaoka. “Come on, Ryuji. Let’s go."  

"Yeah. Right behind you,” Ryuji says, following Nakaoka down out of the ship, or rather, the hover car. He gathers his tools and throws them back into his bag with a satisfying use of force. They clink together as they hit the bottom of the bag and settle. “C'mon Takeishi. Get out of there. We’re leaving.”

“You’re not gonna try to crank this thing up?” Takeishi asks, oblivious to the sour mood of the other two.  

“No! I’m not! Now get outta there!"  

Takeishi pouts as he climbs down the stairs. Ryuji ignores him. He seals the car door back up and starts for the hangar exit, eager to be out and on his way back home. Once they’re outside again, he can breathe better. The cool night air calms his nerves a bit. Overhead the stars glimmer and the twin moons shine like the eyes of a cat. It’s beautiful in a way Ryuji can’t always describe and looking up at it takes the last bit of the edge off. He’s still disappointed but it’s less biting than it was inside the hangar. That is until Takeishi opens his mouth again.

"You’re both being a couple of little bitches about all this,” He goads. Ryuji bristles with newfound anger. He tosses his bag onto the ground and brings his hands up to slam against Takeishi’s chest. It knocks him against the side of the hangar. The metal rattles and echos across the shipyard.  

“Find your own way home,” Ryuji seethes, hissing the words through clenched teeth. Takeishi opens his mouth like he’s going to say something else, but Ryuji doesn’t allow it. He slams his fist against the hangar, knuckles making contact with the hard metal. It sends a shockwave of pain up his arm but he doesn’t care. Takeishi flinches away from both the action and the sound, his eyes wide with disbelief. Ryuji shoves away from the wall and snatches his bag up. This time when they turn to leave, they’re not immediately followed.

“Should'a hit me like your daddy hits you!” Takeishi taunts, but the two of them ignore him. The vein in the side of Ryuji’s forehead is pulsing and he feels lightheaded. When they’re out of sight of Takeishi he stops for a moment to catch his breath.  

“Sorry. You shouldn’t'a had to see that,” Ryuji apologizes, glancing sidelong. Nakaoka offers him a worn smile.  

“He deserves it,” Nakaoka concludes, shrugging his shoulders. “For real though, let’s go. I don’t want to get caught in here. My mom’ll kill me."  

"Mine too.”

The two of them set off together in comfortable silence, following the same path they took to get in to get back out. They’re almost to the fence line when they hear approaching footsteps. It’s followed by the sound of tires bouncing over the cracked concrete. Ryuji throws his head over his shoulder to see Takeishi barreling after them. There’s a security robot hot on his tail. Only once has Ryuji ever found himself in a similar situation. He knows from experience that the security bots can outrun a human. There’s no way Takeishi is going to make it to the fence in time.  

He knows he’s going to regret this, but-…  

“Take this and get outta here,” Ryuji snaps, tossing his bag into Nakaoka’s arms. He gives the other boy’s shoulder a firm push. Nakaoka does what he does best and takes off. Ryuji spins around in the opposite direction to go back for Takeishi. He’s doing a fair job of throwing the bot off, ducking between hover cars to cut off its straight forward path. Despite that, the machine is still closing the distance between them. Ryuji sticks his fingers in his mouth and whistles, catching both the bot and Takeishi’s attention.  

“Go long!” Ryuji calls out, gesturing towards the far end of the shipyard. “There’s another downed fence that way!”  
  
Takeishi throws up a fist in acknowledgment and breaks out running. He’s a few aisles down from Ryuji, zigzagging a path through the parked cars. It’s a good method to prevent the bot from gaining distance on a straightaway. So far it’s working, the bot only has ground capabilities and it can’t keep up with Takeishi’s random changes in direction. Ryuji races ahead, keeping his eyes out for more security bots. They’ve almost reached the fence line again and the opening that waits there for them.  

Takeishi’s been doing track since middle school and it shows in the way he runs, his stride long and practiced. He catches up to Ryuji and the two of them push on towards the fence. For a moment they catch each other’s eye and share twin smiles of amusement. This is easily the craziest thing they’ve done. This Takeishi is the one Ryuji is friends with. He’s briefly reminded of that as they come upon the end of their shared row. They dash around the side of the last hover car and almost crash into the fence.  

“No effin’ way!” Ryuji curses, staring incredulously at the brand new panel of fencing. “This thing’s been down for months! When did they replace it?!”

“Worry about that later! Where else can we get out at?!” cries Takeishi as he checks over his shoulder for the bot. “Shit, Ryuji we gotta go, man! There’s two of them back there!”  

When Ryuji looks, sure enough, two security robots are coming down the aisles towards them. In the distance, Ryuji can make out a third. He turns to Takeishi, his stomach clenching nervously at what he’s about to do.  

“Takeishi, climb! I’ll help you over. Then I can go back down to where we came in,” Without thinking he kneels and offers himself as a foothold to his friend. Takeishi stares at him for a heartbeat, eyebrows furrowed with indecision. They both know its unlikely that Ryuji will be able to make it out. “Please man, just go.”  

“I’m sorry,” Takeishi apologizes as he steps onto Ryuji’s back. He hoists himself up and over the fence, turning around in time to offer a mournful look. Ryuji doesn’t have time to do more than wave him off, the bots are closing in around him. As a last-ditch effort, Ryuji takes off back towards the hangars, hoping he might be able to get inside of one to hide. He’s almost there when his foot catches in a crack in the pavement. His body shoots forward and lands against the hard ground, skinning his palms and forearms in the process. For a moment he lays winded, trying to will himself to get back up.  

The security bots surround him, having picked up a fourth on the way. They began to run their scanners over him, bright blue beams of light that shock the back of his eyelids. He raises up a hand to cover his eyes against their glow. There’s a soft crackle of static that passes between them like they’re having a private conversation in robot. One of the bots scans him a second time for good measure and then it begins to speak.  

_Ryuji Sakamoto, age 16. No prior offenses. Citizen, please remain where you are. An officer has been dispatched to this location and will arrive shortly. Please do not leave the scene, as this could be taken as a sign of an attempt to resist arrest. There are no charges currently being brought against you. However, I will begin the Mirandizing process should this incident be taken to court in the future. In accordance with local laws, you have the right to remain silent-…_

Ryuji pushes himself up onto his knees, listening to the security robot’s electronic voice. His pulse pounds at the side of his forehead and he thinks for a moment about how fucked he currently is. He’s going to be arrested. The moment that gets back to his father- Ryuji isn’t sure what will happen then, but it knows that it won’t be good. He debates on trying to run again, but the bots have already logged his identification code. There’s a slim chance that they haven’t yet transmitted it, but it’s a long shot even then.  

In the distance, he can hear sirens.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying really hard not to hear everyone's voices with a southern accent, but it's not working. lol Anyone else have that problem?


	2. Act 1.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji relives the trauma of his childhood and the events that set him on his path to the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello again! This is the second chapter! Welcome old readers and new! I'm very pleased to bring you another chapter of this story. It was certainly a doozy to write. A familiar face from Persona 4 appears! His part in this story is brief, but I enjoyed writing for him. This story definitely takes on a darker tone in this chapter. Things between Ryuji and his father finally come to a head! I hope you enjoy the drama!

**Name – Ryuji Sakamoto**

**Age – 16**

**Location – Earth Colony Kamoshida  
  
**

* * *

 

“What did you do this time?” The cop that's dispatched to the shipyard is a familiar face. Ryuji's crossed paths with him a few times over the last several years.  
  
“It's a nice night, yeah?” Ryuji deflects, earning a stern look from the officer. He hasn't moved from the place where the robots caught him. The officer disables the robots one by one and sends them back on their patrols around the shipyard. It's only after he sends the final one off that the security manager appears. He runs down one of the aisles towards them, his bald head reflecting the moonlight.  
  
“Mr. Dojima, sir!” The man calls out in greeting, coming to a stop in front of them.  
  
“Jacus,” Officer Dojima greets. “You fell asleep at the monitors, didn't you?”  
  
“What? No, sir! I uh, didn't see any reason to run all the way down here from my office until you had arrived. Safety precautions and all that. What if it had been some unsavory character?"  
  
“Right,” Dojima sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Stand up so I can cuff you, Sakamoto.”  
  
Ryuji rises to his feet and slides his hand around behind his back, he knows the drill.  
  
“Sakamoto?! Again?!” The security manager exclaims, noticing Ryuji for the first time. He throws his arms skyward. “Kid! I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times. Stay out of my shipyard!”  
  
“Sorry 'bout that.” Ryuji scoffs, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Dojima's hand grabs at the back of his head and pushes it forward.  
  
“Oh, I'm sure you're beside yourself with guilt,” Dojima mumbles as he works to fasten the first handcuff onto Ryuji's wrist. He tightens it just far enough that it's uncomfortable. The metal rubs against the sharp points in Ryuji's wrists, ensuring that he can't, or won't want to, attempt escape. “What did he get into this time?”  
  
Jacus shakes his head and points towards the line of hangars, “Unit twelve. Snipped all the wires on the panel and broke inside. That real famous pilot's got his hovercar in there.”  
  
“Well, that explains it.” The officer turns his eyes on Ryuji, his lips drawn into a thin line. “I'm going to assume Takeishi and Nakaoka were involved in this too?”  
  
“No, only me,” Ryuji rocks back and forth on his heels, almost losing his balance. He flaps his elbows to right himself, chuckling at the irritated look on Dojima's face. “It was a solo mission.”  
  
“The patrol robots reported another person.”  
  
“I didn't see anyone.”  
  
Dojima shakes his head, “Sakamoto, you're not doing yourself any favors.”  
  
Ryuji shrugs his shoulders in a casual act of indifference.  
  
“Alright, fine,” Dojima turns Ryuji towards his patrol car. After a somewhat awkward pat down, he's loaded into the backseat to await his ride to the police station. Dojima and Jacus leave him there, presumably to take a look at the damage caused to the hangar and Captain Kidd's hover car. It's a testament of faith that Ryuji's left alone in the car. If he really wanted to, he could probably break out. He tosses the idea around inside his head for a few minutes, deciding that the risk wouldn't be worth it. He's in enough trouble already, why rock the boat?  
  
He's on the edge of sleep when he hears the older men returning. Her jerks himself upright, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. If Dojima notices, he doesn't say anything as he climbs into the driver's seat. He shuts the door and rolls down the window to lean out and speak to the security guard.  
  
“I'll take it from here, Jacus. Hopefully, this will be the last time you have to deal with the two of us.”  
  
“Oh no, sir. It's no problem at all,” Jacus insists, waving his hands frantically in front of himself. “I'm glad you caught him. ...Again.”  
  
“Have a good night.” Dojima drives the car out of the shipyard and down towards the main road. It glides seamlessly over the dirt and gravel, barely stirring up dust the way a wheel car would. There's a soft rumble as he engages the thrusters, sending the car on a slow ascent towards the sky. Ryuji's stomach flip flops in excitement as the ground falls away. The windshield changes to a screen as simulated highway lanes appear on its display. Despite his current situation, Ryuji can't contain his excitement. It isn't often that he's allowed air travel. He doesn't ride many places with his father and his mother prefers to stick to ground roads.  
  
Dojima clears his throat before saying, “This isn't a joyride you know.”  
  
“I know that,” Ryuji sighs, catching the officer's eyes in the reflection of the windshield.  
  
“You're not a kid anymore, Sakamoto. I'm going to have to actually book you in this time.”  
  
“I figured.”  
  
“Last time we talked you mentioned wanting to go into the Defense Corp. Do you think they're going to take someone with a criminal record?” Dojima's words sting. Ryuji knows he's right. “If that Captain Kidd guy decides to press charges your whole future is screwed. Do you understand that?”  
  
“I got it. Yeah.” Ryuji slides down in his seat. His eyes are above the bottom rim of the window. He can see the farmlands below as they soar towards the station.  
  
“When are you going to grow up?”  
  
“Thanks, dad. Good talk.”  
  
“Ryuji,” Dojima says his name like its profanity, a sharp hiss of the syllables. “I can't keep protecting you. You're taking advantage of my friendship with your mother and I can't allow that to continue. It's not just for my own sake but for yours as well.”  
  
“I'm not taking advantage of anythin'. I didn't ask for you to pull strings for me or do me favors.”  
  
“My seven-year-old daughter is more mature than you are.”  
  
“Yeah, well, good for her.” Ryuji's argument falls flat and the two of them resort to silence. The fifteen-minute ride to the station is almost over when Ryuji asks, “How's Narukami doin'?”  
  
“He's well. Finishing his first year at the academy.” Dojima's voice has warmed with pride. Yu Narukami is Dojima's nephew and four years older than Ryuji. The two of them used to play together as kids and Ryuji's always thought of him like an older cousin. “He hasn't decided on a major yet but he said he was thinking of applying to AMES.”  
  
“He wants to go into medicine?”  
  
“Can't say I mind the thought of that. Things between the colony leaders haven't been running so smooth lately. I'd hate for Yu to get drafted into some kind of civil conflict.”  
  
“I guess so. It seems borin' to me. Who wants to go from planet to planet givin' out vaccines and birthing alien babies?”  
  
“I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that,” Dojima says, nearly turning around in his seat to glare at him. “At least he knows what he wants. You haven't got a damn clue. It's serious this time, Ryuji. I can't give you a slap on the wrist and let you go.”  
  
“I'll deal with it,” Ryuji insists. It's clear that Dojima wants to continue the lecture but he's run out of time. He slowly takes the car back down towards the ground.  
  
The local police station is a small building in the middle of town, a hodgepodge of gray and white walls. Dojima pulls the car around to the back of it. The road drops down into an underground parking garage. They go down three floors to reach employee parking. Dojima helps Ryuji out of the car and the two of them make their way towards the transport elevator. Dojima presses his hand to the palm scanner and a pair of double doors slide open to allow them entry.  
  
“Booking,” He announces to the computer as the doors close behind them. It beeps in confirmation and the elevator begins moving, sliding along a pipe-like maze of pathways. The doors open once more and the two of them step out into a large hallway of offices. Ryuji keeps step with Dojima as they walk to the end of the hallway. “I'm going to drop you off in here and then I have to go call your mother.”  
  
“Got it,” Ryuji grunts in reply. They enter a room with stark gray walls and two heavy metal doors on either side. A man steps out from behind one of the metal doors. He's a Rotu by the looks of him, he's got the typical purple skin and pink hair of their kind. They'd pass for humans if not for their colorful bodies.  
  
“Officer Dojima,” The Rotu says in greeting, tipping his head forward in a small nod. He runs his palms down the front of his shirt, straightening the material against his chest. “Bringing this one in for the night?”  
  
“Yeah. He's here for a simple booking. I'm going to go call his mom,” Dojima throws a thumb over his shoulder and begins to back out of the room. Ryuji glares at him for the mom comment but his disdain goes without notice. “Keep a close eye on him, Ghiles.”  
  
“Follow me,” Officer Ghiles says. Ryuji can't help staring at him. Rotu are a rarity on Kamoshida and he's fascinated by the man's brightly colored body. If Ghiles notices, he doesn't comment. He leads Ryuji into the back and subjects him to another quick pat down. After that, the two of them settle themselves inside a small room with a table and two chairs.  
  
"Is this an interrogation room?" Ryuji asks as he sits at the table.  
  
"It is," Ghiles confirms, taking the seat opposite to Ryuji. He holds up a ComTab. “We'll start with a palm scan and a retina scan. I also have some forms you'll need to fill out on the tablet.”  
  
“Do I gotta do a mugshot?” Ryuji asks, earning a soft chuckle from the officer.  
  
“Yes, after you finish the forms. Go ahead and place your hand face down on the tablet screen for me.” Ghiles instructs. He uses the scanner on the ComTab to make a record of Ryuji's palm prints and then scans both of his eyes. They go through the paperwork to get Ryuji's account of what happened. He pointedly leaves out Nakaoka and Takeishi's names.  
  
“I wish I could have a copy of the mugshot,” Ryuji remarks as Officer Ghiles finishes photographing him.  
  
“What would you do with it?” The older man asks, staring at Ryuji through curious eyes. They're neon green in color and almost glowing under the overhead lights.  
  
“Put it up on my bedroom wall or somethin'.”  
  
“To remind you not to break the law again?”  
  
“Because it'd be cool!” Ryuji exclaims, earning a soft rumble of laughter from Ghiles.  
  
“It sounds like something my son would do.” The officer says, clearing his throat in an attempt to compose himself.  
  
“Yeah? You got a son? I wonder if I've ever met him. Does he go to school in town?”  
  
“Yes, Jewels. He's in the senior most year.”  
  
“Oh yeah. I know him!”  
  
“Having social hour I see,” Dojima has returned, looking as dour as ever. His arrival spoils the mood. “Your mom will be here in about an hour. I don't see any point in sticking you in a cell, so you can wait in here.”  
  
“That's sorta disappointin'. I wanted to see what it looked like on the inside.” Ryuji mumbles as he tilts back in his chair, balancing it on two legs.  
  
“Keep going the way you're going and you'll get another chance to find out.”  
  
Dojima jerks his head towards the door, beckoning for Ghiles to leave the room. With a sheepish smile, he bids Ryuji farewell and follows Dojima out. Ryuji has just settled his chair back onto the floor when he hears a muffled commotion in the hallway. He's on his feet the same moment that Officer Ghiles reenters the room, his eyes wide and his uniform rumpled. He holds a hand up to stop Ryuji from moving towards the door.  
  
“For your safety, I request that you remain inside this room,” Ghiles says in a sharp tone. There's a fear in his voice that chills Ryuji. He nods in acknowledgment and lowers himself back into his seat. Through the open door, he can hear nonsensical shouting. Something large hits one of the walls.  
  
“Are you sure you've got him?!” Dojima shouts from somewhere down the hallway. Ryuji looks at Ghiles for an answer but he only shakes his head in reply. “Riviera, why didn't you two take him to the hospital?!”  
  
“We did,” Comes a stiff reply. “They cleared him and sent him back with us.”  
  
“For the love of- Where the hell did he come from?”  
  
“Off one of the transport barges, sir.” Another voice answers. “He slipped on board with some cargo from the Shido Colony. The cargo hold is under lockdown right now. President Kamoshida has sent a hazmat team in there. The area is being checked for contamination.”  
  
“Get him into a cell.” Dojima commands, earning stiff replies of 'yes sir'.  
  
“Do not leave this room,” Ghiles says firmly to Ryuji before stepping out into the hallway.  
  
Once he's gone Ryuji's curiosity gets the better of him. He stands up and approaches the small window on the door. Craning his neck he can see the approach of three officers and Dojima. They've got a prisoner with them but Ryuji can't yet make out the man's details, his head is bent low. Two officers hold the man by the arms, they're half dragging him. His body is limp and he seems to be unable to stand on his own.  
  
As they pass the threshold of the doorway the prisoner lifts his head up. His face is gaunt and sallow and deep-set dark circles frame a pair of sunken black eyes. They lock onto Ryuji and at that moment the submission melts away from his body. He gets his feet under himself and lunges towards the door. His face hits the window head on sending a spray of blood across the glass from his now broken and misshapen nose. Cracked lips pull back away from his teeth in a snarl. He snakes his tongue out from between them to lap up some of the blood.  
  
The officers regain their hold on him and shove him further down the hallway. If he's in pain of any kind he doesn't show it, still twisting his body in an attempt to get free of them again. Ryuji steps back to stand in the middle of the interrogation room, his hand over his chest. His heartbeat is racing and he can feel it's rapid pulse all over his body. He half steps half staggers back into his seat, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He stares aimlessly at the blood-spattered window, the marks are ink black instead of red. In fact, the man's skin had been that color too, as if his whole body was tattooed with it.  
  
Ryuji's never seen a Fade infected person before.  
  
The disease originated on the planet Shido thirty years ago. A large outbreak overtook the planet. It's a slow killing disease that remains in the body for years, sickening the victim from the inside out. Its hallmark symptom is the black discoloration that occurs to the victim's skin. What starts as a small patch moves to cover the entire body. Those who survive that long give in to a kind of madness as the brain's functions begin to decay.  
  
Thanks to its short infectious period and the development of a new vaccine, cases have been on the decline. Ryuji only knows about it from the brief lessons on it at school when the vaccines became a requirement. He never expected to ever see a case of it in person, especially not one that appears to be so advanced. Thinking about it sends a nervous shiver down his spine. He realizes for the first time that his hands are shaking.  
  
“Are you alright?” Ghiles returns to the room, followed by Dojima and a third officer.  
  
“Adachi, get this cleaned up,” Dojima makes a sweeping motion towards the bloodied window. The third officer jumps a bit at the mention of his name. When he glances towards the window his face goes pallid and his body curls in on itself. He slaps a hand over his mouth and disappears down the hallway.  
  
“Is he gonna be okay?” Ryuji asks, raising his eyebrows.  
  
“He'll be fine,” Dojima sighs, shaking his head. His expression furrows as he turns to face Ryuji. “I thought Ghiles told you to stay put.”  
  
“I didn't leave the room, did I?”  
  
“That isn't the point.”  
  
“Did that guy have it? Fade disease?” Ryuji's sudden question derails the conversation. Dojima opens and closes his mouth a few times, finally settling on a curt nod.  
  
“Don't worry. He's not contagious,” Dojima sighs.  
  
“Was he a stowaway or somethin'?”  
  
“I can't give you details, Sakamoto. It doesn't involve you.”  
  
“Are you going to report it to AMES?” Ryuji asks, leaning forward in his chair.  
  
Before Dojima can reply, Ryuji's mother appears in the doorway of the interrogation room.  
  
“Ryuji,” She sighs, his name a drawn-out exhale. She pinches the bridge of her nose as she enters the room. By sheer luck, she bypasses the door without noticing the mess on the outside of it. Ryuji's stomach clenches uncomfortably. He doesn't want to see the disappointed look on his mother's face.  
  
When she reaches him she kneels down in front of him and closes both of her hands around his. Her eyes are wide with distress and he's about to ask her if she's okay when another person enters the room. Ryuji doesn't have to look up to know it's his father, the man's dark silhouette is more than enough.  
  
“Get up,” His father grunts. He points a finger at him and then throws his thumb over his shoulder back towards the door. “We're leaving.”  
  
“I need you to sign some paperwork first,” Ghiles interrupts, holding his tablet out. Ryuji's father takes it from him with stiff hands. “If you'll enter your ComTab ID we can email you the necessary information for the hearing.”  
  
“What the hell, Ryuji?” His father turns around to face him. He narrows his eyes and speaks through tightly clenched teeth. “Take him to the car. I'll be right out.”  
  
Ryuji rises to his feet alongside his mother. She's standing straight with her head held high. Probably trying to give off the impression of confidence. She follows Dojima out into the hallway. Ryuji moves to follow her, catching Ghiles' eyes as he passes by him. There's a look in the older man's eyes like he  _knows_ what Ryuji's going to be facing when he gets home. A slight frown tugs the corners of his lips down. Ryuji shrugs and brushes past him.  
  
Dojima leads them out of booking and back to the elevator, where he stops short. “Kotoko-”  
  
“I will handle this.” She says with finality, daring him to argue with her. “I appreciate what you want to do, Ryotaro but this is my family and I will handle it.”  
  
Dojiima opens his mouth to say more but she's already stepping into the elevator. Ryuji is hot on her heels. Dojima stares after them until the doors close.  
  
“Guest parking, floor one,” His mother announces to the elevator's computer system. It beeps in confirmation and then they're moving. Ryuji looks sideways at his mother. She's still standing ramrod straight but the tension is melting out of her. She sighs and hangs her head.  
  
“Ma?” Ryuji calls out, catching her attention. She smiles at him and takes hold of one of his hands, squeezing gently.  
  
“It's okay,” She says and there's something in her voice like false certainty. “I'm not going to let him hurt you, Ryuji.”  
  
“It's fine. I don't mind if he does.”  
  
“I mind!” His mother turns to him. She moves her free hand up to cup the side of his face. “You are the most important thing in my life, Ryuji. It's a wonder you don't blame me for everything he's done to you.”  
  
“It's nothin' compared to what he did to you,” Ryuji murmurs, his chest heavy with guilt at her words. “If he hadn't a-... You'd have never of had me and you wouldn'ta had to marry him.”  
  
She recoils from his words and her lips draw into a thin line. She drops her hands away from him and turns to face the doors again.  
  
“I have never blamed you for that,” She says, her voice low with sorrow. “You shouldn't even know about that.”  
  
“I don't care if he knocks me around some,” Ryuji insists. He takes hold of his mother's shoulders to turn her around to face him. The look in her eyes hardens as she stares up at him.  
  
“No,” She says firmly. “It's my job to protect you.”  
  
“Excuse me, what floor is booking?” The elevator doors have opened and there's a man standing awkwardly in the doorway. Ryuji turns to answer the man and his mouth falls open in shock when he sees a face he recognizes. Although recognize is a bit of a stretch. He's never actually met the man in person, but he's got plenty of posters of him at home on his walls.  
  
“C-Captain Kidd!” Ryuji exclaims, earning a wide smile in reply.  
  
“You must be the kid who broke into my car,” Captain Kidd says casually. “Ryuji Sakamoto.”  
  
“...You know my name?”  
  
“What can I say? Word travels fast in small towns.”  
  
“He got it off the report that Dojima gave him,” Ryuji's mother states blandly, crossing her arms over her chest. Beside her, Ryuji is vibrating in excitement. His idol is standing a few feet in front of him and he doesn't know what to do with himself. “Come on Ryuji. We need to get home.”  
  
“But it's Captain Kidd,” Ryuji exclaims, gesturing towards him. “Oh my god, it's Captain Kidd.  
  
“Kotoko, it's been a while!” Captain Kidd glances towards Ryuji's mother. His expression is warm with surprise as if he's just noticed her. She rolls her eyes and steps forward in front of Ryuji, acting almost protective of him.  
  
“What are you doing here, William?” She asks, and realization strikes Ryuji. He glances between the two of them, head swiveling back and forth.  
  
“Hold up. You know each other?!” Ryuji can hardly believe it. He turns towards his mother, hands flailing in front of his body. He's finding it hard to keep calm. “You know Captain Kidd?”  
  
“We went to high school together.” She confirms with a shrug of her shoulders as if it's not a big deal. In actuality, it's a huge deal! Ginormous! Galactic! Ryuji's been Captain Kidd's biggest fan his entire life! It's almost an insult that she's never mentioned it to him.  
  
“We even used to date,” Captain Kidd adds, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Ryuji wheezes with the force of his lungs ejecting air. It's all too much.  
  
“Can you not bring that up?!” Her face flushes and her eyebrows point together in the center of her forehead. She motions for Ryuji to leave the elevator. The doors keep trying to close, kept open by Captain Kidd's body wedged in its path. The two of them slip past the captain and he turns to follow them.  
  
“He's such a big fan. I'm flattered,” The older man enthuses.  
  
“Don't be,” His mother sighs. She increases her walking speed, hurrying them both towards the car. “Come on Ryuji.”  
  
“But Ma-...” Ryuji protests, earning a sharp-eyed look.  
  
“You're still in trouble you know.”  
  
“I know, but,” Ryuji gestures again at the captain, mouthing 'Captain Kidd'.  
  
“Fine,” She relents.  
  
“Hell yeah!”  
  
“You're pretty enthusiastic,” Captain Kidd says with an amused grin. Ryuji's turned around to face him but he's not quite sure what to say or do next. He runs his hands down the front of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his palms. It reminds him of what shirt he's got on. A navy blue tee with a screen-printed schematic of Captain Kidd's current ship. It's the one he flies while working with the Defense Force. “I'm surprised that Kotoko's kid is such a big fan of mine.”  
  
“I'm the biggest,” Ryuji confirms, his face flushing when the captain laughs.  
  
“Then your mum must be the opposite. She's my biggest hater.”  
  
“What? For real?” Ryuji casts a glance over his shoulder towards his mother. “Why do you say that?”  
  
“She turned me down for senior prom, you know...”  
  
“Of course I did!” Ryuji's mother exclaims, turning around to face the two of them. Ryuji's never seen her so riled up. “Like hell was I going to go to prom with a womanizer like you! Come on Ryuji, we really need to go now.”  
  
“How about dinner?” Captain Kidd suggests, changing the topic without a second thought. “I'm actually here for a couple of months to help out on my parent's farm. It'd be nice to spend some time with you, Kotoko. Maybe get to know Ryuji a bit better.”  
  
“No way-”  
  
“Hell yeah, you can come over for dinner!” Ryuji declares, speaking over his mother. His whole body is vibrating again. “Oh man, this is so badass!”  
  
“Let me give you my ComTab ID,” Captain Kidd offers.  
  
“Oh, uh, sure!” Ryuji holds his wrist out, indicating to the wristwatch he has paired up with his ComTab. The captain pulls out a mobile ComTab and taps it gently over the top of the watch display. The two devices light up as they record each other's ID. “Oh my god. I have your CT-ID.”  
  
“Don't let it go to your head.” Kidd laughs jovially.  
  
“Are you going to press charges?” Ryuji mother asks, her voice high with tension. The two of them turn to look at her. “I mean, you have every right to-”  
  
“Ah, that. No. I wasn't going to,” The captain says, holding up his hands to stop her when she opens her mouth to speak again. “Before you say anything, it's not some favor I'm doing for you. I don't care all that much. It's sort of impressive that a kid was able to break into my car in the first place.”  
  
“This won't earn you any points with me.”  
  
“I know. I'm not expecting anything.”  
  
“Ryuji, we have to go,” His mother's voice is tense again. Beyond them, the elevator doors have reopened. Ryuji's father steps out from behind them. “We'll think about the dinner suggestion.”  
  
His mother turns around to continue towards the car. She brushes a hand over one of Ryuji's arms to encourage him to follow. As a small act of defiance, he doesn't move. She sighs feebly and continues on her way, removing herself from the situation.  
  
“You! The hell you doin' talking to my wife and kid?” Ryuji's father walks towards the three of them. His heavy footfalls echo through the parking lot. Within a few steps he's standing in front of Kidd, hands closed into tight fists at his side. He reeks of alcohol and it's a wonder to Ryuji that he was allowed to leave the police station without any trouble.  
  
“I see,” Captain Kidd mutters, mostly to himself. Ryuji glances up to see his face grow serious as he grasps the situation. It's not hard to figure out what's going on back home at the Sakamoto house. “Your son broke into my car.”  
  
“Ah, oh, I see,” This seems to surprise his father, who's shoulders lower as he forces himself to relax. He's sober enough to know that he needs to keep up an appearance. “I'm sorry about that.”  
  
“I don't plan to press charges. It's not a big deal. Kids get into trouble every once in a while. ”  
  
“Yeah, they do,” His father agrees. His eyes trail sideways to look at Ryuji before snapping back to Kidd's face. “You're that guy, the pilot. The real famous one.”  
  
“Your son's a fan of mine,” Captain Kidd hooks an arm out to wrap around Ryuji's shoulders. Heat rushes up into his face as he strains to keep his expression straight. Even in front of his angered father he's finding it hard to control his delight at having his hero so close by. “I don't condone what he's done but man to man, I gotta ask. Don't be too hard on him, okay? I'm a firm believer in the punishment fitting the crime.”  
  
“Uh, yes, me too. What would you suggest?”  
  
“I'm in town to help out at my parent's farm. It's a few miles from Iwai's corn fields. You could send him down, let me put him to work. Community service builds character.”  
  
“That's a good idea,” His father muses, though there's an edge to his voice that says he thinks otherwise. “I'll talk to my wife about it and we'll let you know."  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“Come on Ryuji, let's go.”  
  
Ryuji follows obediently but spares a glance over his shoulder. Captain Kidd is watching them go with something like shame on his face.  
  
The ride back to the house is eerily silent. The fifteen-minute flight with Dojima is an almost hour-long ride back with his parents. They take street roads because his mother is driving. The long stretch of highway seems endless. The sun is rising up over the horizon when they pull off the road onto their driveway. His mother parks her car inside the garage and they all sit awkwardly inside it.  
  
“I've gotta piss,” Ryuji's father announces, throwing open his door to climb out. He slams the car door shut and continues slamming things as he enters the house.  
  
"Come on, Ma," Ryuji encourages as he exits the vehicle. The two of them go into the house and part ways at the staircase. There's a nervous tension flowing between them as they both wait to see what his father is going to do. Ryuji's exhausted but there's no way he is going to be able to sleep. His father is off on weekends and has Saturday and Sunday to decide his punishment. He wants to make sure he's prepared in case his father comes after him.  
  
Since sleep isn't an option, he opts for a shower instead. Clean and changed into fresh clothes he takes care of the cuts from his fall at the shipyard. There's a small jar of healing ointment that he digs out of his medicine cabinet. It's almost empty, a sad testament to the number of times that Ryuji's needed to use it. He spreads it over the scrapes and watches as they speed through the healing process. They disappear as if they were never there in the first place.  
  
It only then occurs to Ryuji. The house is too quiet. He rushes downstairs.  
  
“Ma, where is he?” Ryuji asks as he enters the kitchen. She's sitting at the table, head bent forward as she nods off over a cup of coffee. She lifts her head, blinking at him blearily.  
  
“Said he was going to do some yard work,” She explains, shrugging her shoulders. “Doesn't bother me any. If he wants to take it out on the yard he can.”  
  
“How mad is he?”  
  
“He hasn't said.”  
  
“I'm gonna go talk to him,” he decides and that gets a rise out of his mother. She stands up to block his path to the doorway.  
  
“I don't want you alone with him for a while.” She says, glancing over her shoulder as if she's expecting him to appear there. “I don't know what he might do.”  
  
“I told you, I don't care-”  
  
“Ryuji. You're not going out there.”  
  
“He's gonna corner me eventually! I don't wanna wait around while he plans somethin'!”  
  
“Go to your room,” She snaps, pointing a finger towards the staircase. He raises his eyebrows at her, surprised to hear the sharpness of her tone. “At the very least you're grounded. So go.”  
  
Ryuji knows better than to argue, less for his own sake and more for hers. The situation is bad enough and he doesn't want to add to all the stress he knows his mother is already feeling. He obeys her command and spends the rest of his day confined to his room.  
  
For the next week, he walks around on eggshells. As extra punishment, his parents require that he stays home from school. He does his classes via remote broadcast. He wouldn't normally consider that a punishment. School isn't exactly his favorite place, but his mother's protectiveness overwhelms him. If he's not in his room she follows him around like a shadow. His father's behavior is equally strange. He comes home every night on time and completely sober.  
  
The house is unusually quiet. No one speaks more than is necessary. When it's time for bed his father goes to sleep in the guest room and his mother sleeps alone in bed. Ryuji, for his part, can't sleep at all. Every small sound, every creak, and groan of their house wakes him.  
  
He doesn't know what he's waiting for but something bad is coming.  
  
The following Friday night his mother's invited Captain Kidd over for dinner. Everyone's on their best behavior, including Ryuji's father. He spends the meal laughing and joking with the captain like they're old friends. Ryuji allows himself to relax enough to bask in all the attention Kidd directs at him.  
  
The end of the meal finds Ryuji and Captain Kidd out on the porch, eating the pie that his mother made. It's sort of under-cooked, but neither one of them complains.  
  
“Your mother's changed so much since she got married,” Kidd says, catching Ryuji by surprise. “She was going to go off to the academy with me. W-Well not with me, but with me and the other kids in our senior class.”  
  
“For real? She wanted to join the Defense Force?” Ryuji asks though it makes sense. His mother has never really seemed suited to the life of a stay at home mom.  
  
“Yeah, but uh, I guess she decided to take over the family farm instead.”  
  
“Not like she had a choice,” Ryuji grumbles. “She uh, got pregnant with me and her parents made her marry my dad. I wasn't exactly planned.”  
  
“...What makes you say that?” Kidd glances sideways at Ryuji, his voice low so that they're not overheard.  
  
“I had this friend one time named Narukami. Dojima's his uncle and we stole his ComTab. It had all sorts of police files on it.”  
  
“Did your dad do something to her?”  
  
“I can't-” Ryuji shakes his head and turns away from Captain Kidd. “I can't tell you my mom's business like that.”  
  
“I understand. I'm just surprised. She always hated the idea of becoming a housewife.”  
  
“Yeah, well, he doesn't give her much choice.”  
  
“What about you?” Kidd wonders and Ryuji glances over his shoulder at him. “What do you want to do with your life?”  
  
“Well, I sure as hell don't wanna be a bean farmer!” Ryuji exclaims, prompting a sharp bark of laughter from the older man. Red-faced and flustered, Ryuji clarifies, “Actually I wanna join up with the Defense Force.”  
  
“Oh?”  
  
“Like you.”  
  
“You really are my biggest fan, huh?” Kidd says, smiling at Ryuji with a fondness in his eyes. “Your mum says you've got a hover car that you're workin' on. Can I see it?”  
  
“Wha-... Hell yeah, you can see it, man! Come on!” Ryuji's on his feet in seconds, Kidd behind him, as they jog out into the field. They step free of the long grass and into the clearing where the car is parked.  
  
“You built this?” Kidd asks, stepping closer to get a better look. He circles the car several times before asking to open the hood. He makes a soft noise of approval at what he finds inside. Ryuji's heart swells with pride.  
  
“Well I mean, most of it, yeah,” Ryuji confirms, standing beside Kidd as they look over the engine.   
  
“What formula did you use to program the hover computer with?” Kidd asks and Ryuji's face blanches.  
  
“W-Well I didn't, I mean-”  
  
“You didn't?”  
  
“I'm real bad at math. So I kind of tinkered with it until it worked.”  
  
“Holy shit.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“No, I'm impressed,” Kidd explains. “Well I mean, that's sort of dangerous, so I can't say it's the wisest way to do things, but it is impressive. Even the most basic hover models on the market are usually built using formulations.”  
  
“I just sorta look up what I need online and mess around until something works,” Ryuji says, embarrassed by Captain Kidd's praising. “I mean, it hasn't blown up yet or anything.”  
  
“If you don't mind, I'd like to come over with my computer sometime and run some scans on it.”  
  
“For real?! No problem! I'd love that!”  
  
“Something like this could get you a scholarship you know,” Kidd continues. “To the Defense Force Program, I mean. You'd need to study up on your math but I think this could land you a spot in the program.”  
  
“What?” Ryuji stares up at Captain Kidd in disbelief. “My crappy hover car could do somethin' like that?”  
  
“You have talent. You could enter in on an engineering scholarship and then go into pilot training if you wanted to. That's more or less what I did.”  
  
“No effin' way.” Ryuji can't stop the smile that spreads over his face at the captain's words. “I wasn't real sure how I would apply or if they'd take someone like me.”  
  
“I promise you, they would. You've got an amazing talent.”  
  
“Sorry to interrupt,” Ryuji's father steps out from the brush, startling both Ryuji and Kidd. “Out here lookin' at the junk heap, huh? Damn kid, you've made some progress on it since the last time I saw it. I don't come out here much.”  
  
“Yeah,” Ryuji shuts the hood on the car, his mood ruined.  
  
“Looks to me like it's almost finished,” Captain Kidd says offhandedly, rebuking his father's insult. “A little paint and it'll be all ready to go. He's sixteen now so I'm sure he'll be wanting his license soon.”  
  
“I'm sure,” Ryuji's father agrees, nodding his head with casual assurance. “Ryuji, your mom wants you back at the house to help clean up dinner.”  
  
“Sure,” Ryuji replies dryly.  
  
“I should get going too,” Captain Kidd says, turning to look at Ryuji again. “Let me know when you have some time. I'll bring my computer over.”  
  
They exchange a few more pleasantries on the walk back to the house and then Kidd gets into his car and leaves. Ryuji watches him go, still reeling from their conversation about the Defense Force. He's about to head up the driveway to the house when his father steps in front of him. Ryuji braces himself.  
  
“The Defense Force, huh?” His father asks with a slight tilt of his head. “I didn't know you were interested in that crap.”  
  
“Yeah, well, now you do,” Ryuji sighs as he brushes past him. His father grabs hold of one of his arms, twisting it around behind his back. It's predictable, or it would have been, had Ryuji not let his guard down. The week of no drinking leading up to dinner with Captain Kidd suddenly makes sense. It was all for appearance sake and now that it's over, his father doesn't have to pretend anymore.  
  
“You think you can cozy up with that guy?” His father hisses into one of his ears. He's strong now that he's not weighed down by his alcohol consumption. Ryuji knows he's not likely to get away so he holds still and tries to keep the strain off his bent arm. “You think he's going to wave a magic wand and all your dreams will come true? Wake up Ryuji, you're not going anywhere.”  
  
“Your grades are shit. Your attitude is shit. You're shit.” His father rambles on, pushing him away from the house and into the fields. Out of sight of his mother, Ryuji realizes. That's fine. He doesn't want her to get involved anyway. He can take a beating for her sake.  
  
“You really believe this heap of garbage is going to land you a scholarship?” They break through the grass and into the clearing where the car is. His father shoves him up against the driver's side door, breathing heavy down the back of his neck. “I know where you get the parts for it. I know you steal whatever you can get your hands on. I should'a turned you into the police a long time ago."  
  
“Do you have any idea how gracious I've been? The things I've done for you and your mother?” His father jerks him back away from the door and then slams him forward back into it. With one arm behind his back, Ryuji can't do anything to soften the impact against his chest. His lungs seize up in pain as the breath goes out of him. His father releases him to fall to the ground. He's stunned for a moment while his body tries to fix itself. Ryuji wraps his arms around his chest, fending off a wave of dizziness.  
  
“What kind of son does his father that way? You've pretty much slandered my name to hell and back. Stealing, breaking into the shipyard, getting arrested! I hear the other guys at work talkin' about it. Talkin' about me,” His father seethes as Ryuji rises to his feet. This time he's more prepared when his father comes at him. The man's fist collides with his jaw, sends him back a step or two, but he keeps his feet. He knows he should back down but he can't stand his father's raging narcissism.  
  
“Well if you've got a problem with your ego maybe you should fix it!” Ryuji spits back, running the back of one of his hands over his jaw, soothing the ache out of it. “Maybe they're talking about you because you beat your wife and kid!”  
  
“Ryuji, I'm gonna give you one chance. Shut up and go back to the house.” His father steps back away from him and pulls a small metal welding torch from his back pocket. It's similar to the one Ryuji used to cut through the fence at the shipyard. Blue flames leap from the tip of it. He hovers the flames over the hood of the car. “This is punishment for gettin' arrested. Be a man and take it.”  
  
“Get away from my car.”  
  
“Or what? You'll cry to your mother? To that captain?” The torch digs down into the hood, slicing through the metal in an effortless motion. Wires pop and spark as the heat of the torch tears through their circuitry.  
  
Ryuji moves without thinking. He tackles his father to the ground and swings blindly towards his face. His knuckles pop as they come into contact with the man's jaw. The two of the struggle in the dirt as they both fight for the upper hand. His father has the advantage of weight and he uses it to roll over the top of Ryuji and pin him to the ground.  
  
“Is this what you did to her?” Ryuji pants, jerking his head towards the house. “Held her down and forced yourself on her?!”  
  
“She wanted it,” His father hisses back, his lips turning up in a dangerous smile. “Didn't know you knew about that.”  
  
“You bastard!”  
  
“A woman needs to be put in her place, Ryuji. That's the only way she'll learn.” He continues on, moving up to press one of his legs down against Ryuji's chest to hold him still. He frees a hand to reach for the torch, shaking the dirt free from its barrel tip. “I was surprised. She didn't cry, didn't scream, just sat there and took it. Didn't argue when her parents insisted on a marriage.”  
  
“I didn't think much of becoming a farmer, but it worked out in the end. I've done my due diligence. I worked, I raised you, put food in your mouths. I could'a just left her but I stayed around to be the good guy. You wanna complain about me knocking you around a bit?”  
  
“You sick fuck,” Ryuji spits, struggling to free himself. The man's hold is strong, his muscles strengthened from his years of working the land. When he stands up he brings Ryuji along with him like it's nothing. He pitches him forward against the hood of the car and the impact jars his vision. Pain splits up the side of his head.  
  
“You're never gonna amount to anythin',” His father yells into his ear, making the pain inside his head flair to new heights. Ryuji flails his arms in an attempt to free himself. “You think you're gonna be like that captain? Bullshit. You're fucking worthless.”  
  
He drops him to the ground and this time Ryuji makes no moves to get up. His anger still burns inside him, though it's become disconnected and distant. He floats in and out for a while, fatigued from the fight and from a week of bad sleep. He fights his way back in time to see his father carve through the hinges on the driver's side door. It creaks and groans as the metal splits apart, sending the door to the ground. There are wires and metal littering the ground in all directions. Some pieces still smoking from the heat of the metal torch.  
  
“What're you doing?” Ryuji rasps, though the answer is pretty obvious. Some sort of new madness has come over his father. The car that Ryuji spent years on is now a smoking wrecked shell.  
  
“What I should'a done a long time ago,” His father replies. He glances over his shoulder at Ryuji, assessing his injuries with a vague look of detachment. “Can you stand? Go back to the house.”  
  
“I'll fuckin' kill you.”  
  
“Go home.”  
  
Ryuji pushes himself up into a sitting position and the movement causes his head to throb. He reaches a hand up to his temple, fingers brushing over a mixture of dirt, blood, and sweat. He shuts his eyes against the nausea that flairs up, threatening to overwhelm him. Another large piece of metal hits the ground nearby.  
  
Angry and in despair, Ryuji forces himself to stand. In a last-ditch effort, he throws his body forward into his father's. Not expecting the attack the man topples over. Ryuji's on him in an instant, fists swinging. He feels the definite crack of his father's nose and the hot rush of blood that precedes the man's screams. It's sickeningly satisfying. He halts his attack long enough for his vision to center so that he can see the damage he's caused.  
  
His father's face is a hot mess of blood and his nose hangs off center. His stormy eyes are blazing with anger despite the pain and his teeth are drawn back in a snarl. He moves his lips to mouth something, his voice a weak grunt of sound. He laughs and a foamy gargle of blood seeps out between his teeth.  
  
“I'll fuckin' kill you, I swear,” Ryuji threatens again, curling his fingers around the older man's throat. He tightens his grip. He can feel the rush of his father's pulse, the shaky inhales and exhales of his breathing. It would be so easy. It would fix so many problems. He'd be doing the world a favor.  
  
“Do it,” His father spits, finally able to form words. He sits up, pressing his throat deeper into Ryuji's palm.  
  
“I'll kill you,” Ryuji whispers, his entire arm shaking with the tension. Hot tears obscure his vision and they make his headache worse. He wants to do it so bad, wants to free himself and his mother, but he can't. He can't. He breathes in soft trembling pants. The shaking in his arm moves to his entire body.  
  
“I knew you didn't have the balls to do it,” His father leers, using the hesitation to gain some leverage. He sits up and shoves Ryuji off of him and back into the dirt. He lays dizzy and weak. His father drops into a crouch next to him. He's found the torch again. “You're never gonna get away from me, kid. I warned you.”  
  
The torch cuts through flesh so much easier than it does through metal.  
  
\---

  
**Name – Ryuji Sakamoto**

**Age – 22**

**Location – Earth Colony Kaneshiro**

* * *

  
Ryuji wakes from sleep with a full body jerk. There are hands on his shoulders fighting to hold him in place as he writhes and screams in protest.  
  
“Ryuji!” A voice brings him back to his senses. He opens his eyes to see a familiar shock of bright pink hair and glowing green eyes. “This is not what I meant when I said I wanted you writhing and screaming under me.”  
  
“Sorry,” Ryuji apologizes in a hoarse voice.  
  
“Yeah, well, can you go have your nightmare somewhere else besides my bedroom?”  
  
“What time is it?”  
  
“I don't fuckin' know,” Ryuji's bed partner rolls away from him to retrieve his mobile ComTab off the bedside table. “Four in the fuckin' morning.”  
  
“Shit,” Ryuji sighs, screwing his eyes shut. He takes deep breaths in an attempt to calm his frantic heartbeat. It's been a while since he's had that nightmare. "Jewels I'm real sorry-"  
  
“Go, Ryuji. I'm not in the mood to deal with your daddy issues.”  
  
“Okay, okay, jeeze,” Ryuji opens his eyes up and slips free of the other man's bed. He pulls on his boxers and a shirt and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind himself. Jewels has little tolerance for Ryuji's frequent night terrors. He rarely lets him stay post-coitus but the two of them must have fallen asleep by mistake.  
  
Ryuji takes a quick shower and then heads into the kitchen to get started on breakfast. Jewels' apartment is a lush sprawl of modern luxury furniture. It's situated in the heart of downtown where all the well-to-do people live. Restaurants, shops, clubs, everything is within walking distance. It'd be perfect if Jewels was the sort of uptight playboy that cared about that sort of lifestyle. Instead, he's just irritable and slutty.  
  
The two of them met back on Kamoshida, when Ryuji, Shiho, and Ann snuck into the senior graduation party. The two of them had run off together to get a hotel room and had been something like friends ever since. They mostly communicated through email until Ryuji graduated. When he joined the Defense Force Program the two of them reunited and picked up where they left off.  
  
They're a far cry from a couple, so much so that Jewels refuse to even entertain the idea. Still, there's something magnetic between them. Even with a sea of other partners they always seem to drift back together. Ryuji supposes there's a comfortable intimacy between them. A relationship formed through set expectations. They've been sleeping together for four and a half years.  
  
Ryuji's almost finished cooking when he hears the shower in the bathroom kick on. He sets the table and then sits down to wait. His eyes fall on the dark black expanse of metal and wires that make up his right leg. He hikes up the fabric of his boxers, running his fingers over the connection port. It's situated at his mid-thigh, where what's left of his real leg meets the robotic one. He could have gotten the artificial skin put on over it, but it always looked cooler to him without it.  
  
“Did you make breakfast?” Jewels asks as he comes out of the bathroom, his still naked body framed by a rush of steam. Ryuji raises his eyebrows at him as he crosses the apartment.  
  
“The blinds are up,” Ryuji cautions and Jewels just shrugs. The early morning light falls against his lavender colored skin, casting suggestive shadows. He approaches Ryuji and then stops in front of him, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
“You are never staying the night again.”  
  
“Sorry 'bout that.”  
  
“Sorry doesn't give me back the years of my life your screech took off of me.” Jewels glances sideways at the breakfast sprawl that Ryuji's prepared. It's a bad habit of his, cooking large meals when he's stressed out about something. “You made pancakes. From scratch.”  
  
“Yeah, kinda wanted something sweet this morning,” Ryuji explains sheepishly.  
  
“You could have used the synth-cooker.”  
  
“I did. To get the ingredients.”  
  
“I'll never understand why you want to go to all the trouble and dirty all the extra dishes.” Jewels shakes his head, sending small glittering drops of water through the air. He kneels down between Ryuji's legs and brushes the tips of his fingers along the waistband of his boxers. His snakes his tongue out from between his lips. “I want something salty for breakfast.”  
  
* * *  
  
Ryuji leaves the apartment after breakfast. He's dressed in a tight fitting suit that Jewels loaned to him. His hair is slicked back away from his face and there's not a scrap of stubble to be found along his jaw. He was unexpectedly called into the academy for a meeting with Lieutenant Commander Kawakami. It's the fifth time he's been called back there in the two years since he graduated. This is his final chance at getting an assignment. If he doesn't make it onto a ship this time he'll be forced to find work on the ground.  
  
His stomach is so uneasy he's wishing that he hadn't of eaten those pancakes.  
  
He meets up with Ann and Shiho at the front entrance. The two of them have just recently graduated their own programs. Ann is going into advanced medical piloting, while Shiho got her nursing license. There's a high chance that the two of them will be drafted into AMES. The thought is a little depressing. The three of them have been close friends since high school and all through the academy. When he graduated early from his program, he got a job and stuck close by.  
  
“This is it,” Shiho says when the three of them have assembled. She looks Ryuji up and down with an approving smile. “You look very professional.”  
  
“I feel stupid,” Ryuji mumbles, tugging at the front of his suit jacket to straighten it. It got wrinkled while he was sitting down on the ride to the academy.  
  
“You look fine, stop fussing!” Ann shoos his hands away from himself. “You look fine Ryuji.”  
  
“We better get inside,” Shiho suggests, taking the lead. Ann drops into the space beside her and the two of them walk side by side. They fall into a conversation about potential ships they could be assigned to. Ann's bright blue eyes are all over Shiho, taking in the sight of her in her dress uniform. She's had a crush on Shiho since high school but somehow hasn't gotten up the courage to make the next move. It's both amusing and frustrating to watch.  
  
“I hope you guys don't get assigned to different ships,” Ryuji mumbles. They both frown in unison, it's something they've both been thinking about. “Sorry. I shouldn't'a said nothin'.”  
  
“All we can do is hope for the best,” Shiho reasons, bumping her elbow against Ann's. Ann gives her a weak smile in reply. The three of them make their way into a large waiting room. It's already packed with students, milling around in different groups. Most of them are wearing the academy dress uniform. Ryuji still had his but hadn't thought to wear it. It wasn't a requirement but he wonders if it would have earned him sympathy points somewhere.  
  
After about fifteen minutes members of the academy faculty begin to show up and call names.  
  
The trio finds a secluded area of the room to settle themselves while they wait. With so many bodies in the room, the temperature begins to rise. Ryuji's dress shirt starts sticking to his back from underneath his suit jacket. He wants to take it off, but they've finally reached the end 'R' names and he knows he'll be called soon. He pulls his mobile ComTab out of his pocket and double checks that all his paperwork is in order on it. For good measure he has Ann check it all over too.  
  
“I think you'll be okay,” She encourages, offering his CT back to him. “You've got a much stronger resume this time.”  
  
“Yeah, but they still haven't dropped the whole 'disrespects authority' warning from my file,” Ryuji says, biting into his bottom lip. It's a substitute for the fingernails he chewed off the night before.  
  
“You have letters of recommendation this time. That has to mean something.”  
  
“Sakamoto?” Ryuji's head jerks up at the sound of his last name. Ann and Shiho whisper words of encouragement as he gathers himself together. He walks over to the woman who called his name. She runs a retina scanner over his eye and once his ID is confirmed she leads him through a large wooden door. They walk down a long hallway of offices to a large suite at the end. Lieutenant Commander Kawakami is emblazoned in crisp clean font on the plaque next to the door. “Go inside, Sweetie.”  
  
“Oh. Yes. Right,” Ryuji stammers, opening the door to walk in. The office is the same as it ever was, nothing seems to change inside. The same books, same photos on the walls, same furniture, the same Kawakami behind the desk. Perhaps the only things that's changed about her is the ring on her right hand. That's definitely new. “Lieutenant Commander, you got married. Congratulations.”  
  
“Sit down, Sakamoto,” She sighs, rolling her eyes. He tries not to bristle at her dismissive attitude. One's he's seated her expression softens. “Thank you.”  
  
“No problem- Er, I mean, yes ma'am.”  
  
“Relax, Sakamoto.”  
  
“Sorry,” He takes a deep breath, smoothing his sweaty palms down the front of his trousers. The office door opens and a third person enters the room.  
  
“Commander Kurusu,” Kawakami greets, standing up from behind her desk. Ryuji stands too, turning to face this unexpected guest. He's surprised to find a face he recognizes, though only through news holos and articles. The man standing in the doorway is Akira Kurusu, the youngest war hero in Earth Colony History. He was Ryuji's age when he conducted a large evacuation procedure during the fall of Shido. His face has been all over the news ever since and he's hugely popular among students and staff and the academy.  
  
“Kawakami,” He greets in reply, his voice sonorous. He looks markedly different in person. His black hair is an untamed mess of curls. A pair of soft gray eyes peer out from behind thick-framed glasses. He almost looks a little geeky, though Ryuji would never dare to say so out loud. He takes the seat next to Ryuji and offers him a warm smile. “You must be Ryuji Sakamoto.”  
  
“Yeah, I mean yes, that's me,” Ryuji can't stop himself from feeling a bit flustered. He wasn't expecting to have to speak with anyone besides Kawakami. Especially not someone so attractive and well known.  
  
“We're here to talk about your eligibility for assignment,” Kawakami says, calling Ryuji's attention back towards her. “You graduated from your training program a year early. You have moderately decent grades and several recommendations. However, all of your instructors made note of your inability to comply with and follow orders. You've also shown to have a repeated disregard for the chain of command.”  
  
“Yes, that's correct,” Ryuji confirms, pulling his ComTab from his jacket pocket. “I don't deny all that stuff. However, I have several new letters of recommendation written by my current employers. There are also letters from supervisors and coworkers. After leaving the academy I immediately started working and I've head the same jobs for two years now. I haven't had any disciplinary issues.  
  
Kawakami opens her mouth to speak, but Commander Kurusu beats her to it.  
  
“I'd like to see the letters,” He says softly, gesturing towards Ryuji's ComTab. “May I?”  
  
“Oh, yeah, of course.”  
  
Ryuji and Kawakami are forced to wait patiently while he goes through each letter. Occasionally he'll nod his head or mumble to himself, but otherwise, the room is quiet. When he's finished he slides the CT back over to Ryuji and rises to his feet.  
  
“I'd be happy to have you join my crew,” Commander Kurusu says, holding a hand out to Ryuji.

“W-What?! For real?!” Ryuji can't contain his excitement. He rises to his feet and shakes the commander's hand vigorously. “Oh man, I can't believe it. Thank you so much for givin' me this chance. I won't let you down, sir.”  
  
“Of course. I'll have all the information send to your ComTab later today. The _Phantom_ is undergoing some repairs right now, but she'll be up and running again in a couple of weeks. Until then you can join in with the other new recruits who are starting ground training.”  
  
“Thank you, sir. Thank you,” Ryuji enthuses, earning a small smile from the commander. Kurusu bids Ryuji and Kawakami goodbye and exits the room.  
  
“I didn't expect him to take you on, honestly,” Kawakami sighs, tapping away at the screen of her ComTab. “I'll send you all the necessary forms to fill out. You'll need to take care of any personal matters right away before you can join in with the ground training.”  
  
“Right, I got it,” Ryuji murmurs, still standing dumbfounded in the middle of the room. His heart thrums inside his chest and his head spins with delight. He can hardly believe that after all this time he's finally landed an assignment.  
  
“Sakamoto,” Kawakami stands up from behind her desk to walk with him to the door. “This assignment is not something to take lightly. If you disobey an order or disrespect your superiors on board a ship it won't only affect your career. You will be prosecuted under the law. Do you understand that?”  
  
“Yes. I know,” Ryuji nods his head solemnly. He's aware of the consequences. Two years of being passed over for assignment have at least taught him that much.  
  
“Don't let yourself down.”  
  
“I won't.”  
  
Kawakami opens the door for him and he steps free of her office. He walks as calmly as he can back towards the waiting room, eager to share the news with the girls. When he arrives, Shiho is missing, but Ann is still waiting for her name to be called. Ryuji rushes over to her, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
“I got an assignment!” He all but shouts as he crosses the room towards her. She's on her feet in seconds with her arms thrown wide for him.  
  
“Ryuji! Congratulations!” Ann cries as she curls her arms around his neck. He picks her up and swings her, trying to burn off the remaining traces of his excitement and adrenaline. “Let me see the assignment orders. I want to see what ship you're going to be on.”  
  
“I got 'em right here,” Ryuji pulls up the orders on his ComTab and holds them up proudly for Ann to see. “So, whaddya think~? The _Phantom_! Sounds like a real high tech ship. I've never heard of it before.”  
  
There's a split second where Ryuji is able to see shock and confusion pass over Ann's face. She reaches out to take hold of his ComTab. Her finger moves over the screen as she reads the orders in full. Ryuji waits anxiously, wishing he had looked them over before showing them to her. Knowing his luck he's been assigned to janitorial duties or something.  
  
“Ryuji,” Ann says, her blue eyes sliding up towards his face. “Ryuji, the _Phantom_ is an AMES ship.”  
  
“What?” He gapes, turning his CT around to scan over the assignment orders. “I'm not trained for medical.”  
  
“They want you to be a transport pilot.”  
  
“What's that?”  
  
“Er, you'll basically fly medical staff and supplies from the ship to the ground and back,” Ann explains, her voice gentle. She sets a light hand on his shoulder. He jerks free of her hold, rage sparking to life inside of him.  
  
“I'm a fucking ambulance driver,” He hisses in anger. “Hell no. This isn't happenin'.”  
  
“Ryuji, if you back out of the assignment you might not get another.”  
  
“I didn't know what I was agreein' to! This is bullshit!”  
  
Before Ann can counter his argument he's halfway out of the waiting room. Commander Kurusu left a few minutes before he did but Ryuji thinks he still might have time to catch up. He sprints out of the building and into the large courtyard of the academy. He passes by groups of students and staff, stirring up a few stares as he goes. On the far side of the campus, there's a large building of apartments where the commanding officers stay during shore leave. If Commander Kurusu is anywhere, it must be there.  
  
Sure enough, Ryuji spots a head of messy black hair bobbing among a group of students. Kurusu is walking slowly, talking to the people surrounding him like an entourage. Ryuji falls in line with them, trying desperately to catch the commander's attention. He'd rather not make a scene if he doesn't have to. The students seem to have an endless number of questions. If it bothers the commander he doesn't let it show.  
  
“Commander Kurusu!” Ryuji finally gives up on waiting and shouts the name above the chattering voices of the students. The commander turns to look at him, eyes wide with surprise.  
  
“Mr. Sakamoto,” He greets, parting the crowd to approach Ryuji. “Is there something you need? I thought Kawakami would explain everything to you.”  
  
“It-...” The eyes of the students are watching him as he goes to speak. It adds an unnecessary extra layer of pressure. “Commander, sir, I didn't realize that the _Phantom_ was a medical ship. I was trained in the Defense Force program. I'm not certified for medical duty.”  
  
“I understand that.”  
  
“So I can't accept this assignment.”  
  
“Considering your position is that really the wisest decision?” Kurusu asks, his voice level and calm. He smiles apologetically to the students as he steps forward to guide Ryuji away from the crowd. “I understand that you came to this academy on recommendation from Captain Kidd and on a scholarship."  
  
"Yeah, that's right."  
  
"Despite that, you created a bad reputation for yourself. There are few other ships that would take someone like that on. This assignment was not something I handed out lightly.”  
  
"I know that, but-"  
  
“Captain Kidd. He was someone important to you, wasn't he?” Kurusu asks, a straightforward question.  
  
“Yes. He was,” Ryuji sighs, shoving his hands into the pockets of his suit jacket. “This is really my only chance?”  
  
“I took you on as a special assignment. No one else would have done it because of your past history.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“I think you deserve a chance,” Kurusu says simply. "I can't promise that everything you hope for will fall into place. However, if you do well, I will make sure that you are considered for a transfer back to the Defense Force."   
  
Commander Kurusu reaches a hand up to pull his glasses from his face. When he looks up at Ryuji he's a completely different person. His eyes have taken on a harder edge and a sly smile teases the corners of his mouth. He's every bit the charismatic and charming commander that he makes himself out to be. “Are you with me?”  
  
Memories flash behind Ryuji's eyes. The last time he had spoken to Captain Kidd he had made a promise to him. The man had been everything to him, a hero, a friend, family. He had promised to graduate from the academy and to someday become a successful pilot. There was no way he could let his last chance pass him by.  
  
“I'm with you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! <3 Stay tuned!


	3. Act. 1.3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji says goodbye. 
> 
> Akira puts a plan into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update for this fic! This chapter is a bit longer than the previous one. I actually had to cut off about half of it and save that for the next chapter. It was rapidly approaching the 20k mark and I just felt weird about posting a chapter that lengthy. So expect another update to come rolling in on the heels of this one.  
> (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

**Name – Akira Kurusu**  
  
**Age – 26**  
  
**Location – The _Phantom_ \- AMES Flagship, Commander's Quarters**

* * *

  
The Commander sits at his desk, bent over his ComTab. He's finalizing the paperwork for his new string of recruits. Each file has a photo attached to it. As he thumbs through them he finds himself thinking about how young they look. Some of them are only four years his junior, and yet he's certain he never looked so fresh-faced. Then again, considering his background-

His room's operating computer chimes softly. A synthesized voice announces the approach of a fellow officer. In the corner of the ComTab's display, a video feed of the outside of his room appears. The hallway looks empty, as the camera is too far above the officer's head to provide a visual. There's only one person on the ship who's that short.

“I'm down here you idiot,” They hiss as the camera pans down towards them. Akira can hear the computer's flat tone as it asks for the officer's name and identification code, picked up by the mic on the outside panel of the door. “Commander Mona, ID Code 223-228. Akira, let me in already!”

“Come in,” Akira calls out sonorously. The computer recognizes the command and beeps in confirmation. The door slides open as the small bipedal creature storms into the room.

“I hate the new security system! I have to give my name and ID number every time I want to walk through a door! Do you know how many doors there are between the mess hall and your room?!” The cat-like creature bounds up into one of the chairs in front of Akira's desk. He sits in the seat like a child, his tiny legs dangling over the front, swinging more than a foot above the floor. His tail lashes at his side, a physical cue to his annoyance.

“The ID key-cards should be here by the end of the week.”

“By the end of the week?! That's five days from now! I can't live like this!”

“Morgana,” Akira sighs with a wry smile. “I know it's a big adjustment. If it wasn't for that incident last month, we wouldn't need a security system.”

“I know, I know, doesn't mean I have to like it,” Morgana relents. He crosses his arms over his chest. “How did things go at the academy?”

“They went as well as expected. We have plenty of new recruits joining with high honors. I'll have a full list sent to your ComTab later.”

“What about that guy? Did you get him to agree?” Morgana asks, narrowing his bright blue eyes.

“He agreed,” Akira confirms, pulling up the file on Ryuji Sakamoto. “I know you have your doubts-”

“You're putting your entire career and the future of this organization on his shoulders. If he fails, everything we've been working towards will go down with him.”

“I of all people understand what's at stake here.”

“I just hope you're right.”

“I have to be. For the future of everyone.”

  
\---  
  
  
**Name – Ryuji Sakamoto**  
  
**Age – 22**  
  
**Location – Earth Colony Kaneshiro - Downtown District, The Midnight Channel Nightclub**

* * *

  
“You're doing that thing again,” Jewels chides as Ryuji's teeth tear through the edge of one of his nails. The two of them are standing in line to get into a popular downtown nightclub, The Midnight Channel. Ann and Shiho invited them out to celebrate, despite Ryuji's earlier behavior at the academy. “What are you so worked up about?”

“I didn't stick around long enough to find out where Ann and Shiho got assigned. Not knowin' makes me nervous,” Ryuji explains. He tucks his hands down into his pockets to protect the rest of his fingernails. His nervousness transfers down to his right leg. He starts tapping his foot against the pavement.

“You need to take it down a notch or two, Sweetheart.”

“I'm tryin'-” before he can finish, Jewels leans in to press their lips together. A firm hand snakes around to the back of Ryuji's head to hold him still. He melts into the kiss. A man standing behind them clears his throat and remarks on the line moving forward. Jewels pulls away from Ryuji and steps forward to fill the empty space. “What was that for?”

“I'm not going to be able to have a good time if you're acting strung out all night,” Jewels shrugs his shoulders casually, running a hand back through his bright pink hair. “Despite myself, I also can't help but feel a little bit proud of you. You're finally getting what you've always wanted. I want you to enjoy the celebrations too.”

“AMES is not exactly the assignment I was aiming for.”

“No, but it's still deep space. Plus it'll be sooooo easy. AMES is a joke.”

“What do you mean?” Ryuji asks, stepping closer to Jewels. His hearing in his left ear is weak. Another leftover reminder of that final argument with his father. Between that and the music, he can hardly hear the other man's words. Jewels leans over to speak into his right ear.

“They're talking about doing away with it. The colonies are tired of sending food and drugs to planets that, honestly, have nothing to give in return. Charity is great and all until you run out of resources. If they don't shut down they'll at the very least be restructured. There's been talk at the academy about combining AMES into a smaller side unit of the Defense Force.”

“What about all the ally planets that they've been helping?” Ryuji wonders. “The colonies have been taking in all those refugees from that cluster of small planets. The ones that got destroyed last year. AMES has been in charge of findin' them housing and employment. If they shut down, what happens to those people?”

“Who knows? They'll probably get fucked over. Happened to my people. AMES threw a bunch of us down on Shido and then didn't do shit when the planet went up, and we went with it. My mother died there.”

“That... What happened on Shido was messed up no matter how you look at it. There was no way AMES could have done anything.”

“Yeah, well, goes to show that you need to look after your own before extending your hand to someone else. AMES spread itself too thin and now it's falling apart because of it. So my suggestion to you is to serve your year and then get off that train-wreck as fast as you can.” Jewels gives Ryuji a stern look, holding his gaze. “You can do so much better, Ryuji.”

“Jewels, I-”

“Ryuji! Jewels!” Ann's voice, projected out over the loud pulse of the music. She appears in the doorway of the club, waving at them as she says something to the bouncer. He nods at her and steps down the queu of people waiting, motioning for the two men to follow him inside. They bypass the rest of the line, moving out of the evening heat into the cold and dark club. Ann leads them past the bar and dance floor, to the back where the private rooms are. She shuts the door behind them, sealing out most of the music. “Sorry, I just saw your message otherwise I would have come to get you guys sooner.”

“No problem,” Ryuji assures her, smoothing his hands down his shirt. It's another loaner from Jewels, a tight-fitting t-shirt with Rotu script on the front of it. He has no idea what it says, probably something explicit, most of the shirts Jewels owns are that way. Ann knows though, she's fluent in Rotu. Her eyes bug out of her head as she scans her eyes over the words. One of her hands hooks out to cuff Jewels in the arm. He laughs and hooks it around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug.

Ryuji doesn't even want to know this time.

“Hey,” He says as he sits down in the seat across from Shiho. She looks three sheets to the wind, and he's willing to bet that she hasn't had that much to drink. She wiggles her fingers at him and leans over the table.

“Ann told me about your assignment, are you okay?” Her playful expression eases into a more serious one. Maybe she's not as far gone as he thought.

“Yeah, I'm okay with it now,” He reassures her. She's got a glass of water on the table in front of her and he gently pushes it towards her. “Drink some water, Shiho.”

“I am, I am.”

“But Annie, this one is my favorite,” Jewels insists to her as they join Ryuji and Shiho at the table. The man wraps his arms around Ryuji's neck, smoothing his palms down his chest. The touch causes Ryuji to jolt forward towards the table. It shakes it so hard that Shiho's water spills over the side of the glass.

“The shirt or Ryuji?” Ann asks in an exasperated tone. She sits down by Shiho and pulls a napkin from the dispenser on the table. She cleans up the spilled water and then nudges the rest of it towards the woman beside her.

“Both,” Jewels says, dropping his chin down on the top of Ryuji's head. “Despite his horrible bleach job.”

“There ain't nothin' wrong with my hair,” Ryuji hisses, shaking free of Jewels hold. “You've never even seen me with dark hair before.”

“I know and it's a crime.”

Jewels swings into the chair next to Ryuji and picks up the drink menu. He makes a big show of flipping through it to decide what to order. It's a pointless gesture, everyone at the table knows that Rotu's are immune to the effects of alcohol. He could drink his way through the entire bar menu and never feel a thing. Except where it hit his credit account.

“Not to derail this facinatin' conversation, but I gotta know where you two got assigned. Are you at least together?” Ryuji should have waited until he had a drink in his hand to ask, but he's nothing if not impatient. He wouldn't have wanted to wait that long anyway.

“You really get straight to the point, don't you?” Ann coos at him, her lips turning up in a sly smile. Her long blond hair is done up into a high ponytail at the top of her head and it swings back and forth whenever she moves. It makes her look like a little kid and Ryuji can't help thinking that it's cute. “I want to make you suffer a little while longer.”

“C'mon Ann! Don't do that!”

“Don't make him wait too long,” Jewels says over the top of the menu, flashing his fluorescent green eyes. “He'll die of an aneurysm if you do that.”

Before Ryuji can find anything out, a waitress appears and introduces herself as 'Pixie'. She goes around to take everyone's food and drink orders. Ryuji's leg bobs up and down the entire time and his fingers drum over the table-top. His entire body is lit up with nervous energy. Jewels moves his chair away to put distance between them, annoyed by the fidgeting but Ryuji can't help it. As soon as Pixie is gone, he turns towards Ann and opens his mouth to speak. He's nearly ready to beg.

“The _Phantom_ ,” She says before he can plead his case. His eyebrows shoot upward. It feels like the floor dropped out from under him and it makes his head spin. “Shiho and I are going to be on the _Phantom_ with you.”

“Like, just on the ship with me, or-...”

“We're assigned to the same task group.”

“Holy shit,” Ryuji exhales. His mind tries desperately to absorb the information. There's no way he can be that lucky. The universe would never allow it and yet- He can feel his lips curling back into a grin. He sets his palms down flat against the tabletop and stands up. “Holy shit, Ann. We're going to be on assignment together. All three of us!”

“I know!” Ann laughs, beaming at him. He can't fathom how to feel, overjoyed of course, but it's so much more than that. Relief is probably a huge part of it. There was always been a voice at the back of his head, reminding him that he would someday lose the two of them.

He feels dizzy so he sits back down.

“It's okay,” Jewels says from behind him, placing a gentle hand at the back of his neck. It's soothing and it keeps Ryuji from losing his head. “You're not gonna cry, right?”

“What the hell?” Ryuji draws away, throwing a sharp look over his shoulder. Jewels smiles, but the expression doesn't reach his eyes. It suddenly dawns on Ryuji that he's forgotten one small detail. Jewels. What about their- Well it wasn't a relationship. Once he went off on assignment the two of them likely wouldn't see each other again.

“I actually have an announcement myself,” Jewels says, commanding the table's attention. He pulls his ComTab out of his pocket and sets it down in the middle of the table. “You three aren't the only ones who received an assignment today. Tomorrow afternoon I leave to take classes at the Nijima University of Law.”

“I didn't know you had even applied,” Ryuji breathes, looking at the acceptance letter through wide eyes. It's well-known that Nijima is the most difficult law school in the colonies. Yearly acceptance is always in the low two-hundred range. “Jewels, what the hell?”

“I can't decide if your shock is flattering or offensive.”

“You didn't say anything about applyin',” Ryuji reiterates.

“The only one who knew that I applied was my father,” Jewels explains, putting his ComTab away in his pocket. “I didn't want to tell anyone in case I bombed out. I couldn't stand the thought of becoming a cop like my dad. So this was the next best thing. I took the exam a couple of weeks ago and passed.”

“It looks like we're having a double celebration then!” Ann exclaims, exchanging an excited smile with Shiho. Ryuji's brain is still struggling to come to terms with it. It's irritating that Jewels didn't mention it to him, though he knows his anger isn't justified. They're not in a relationship. They're fuck buddies. So it shouldn't matter.

It matters.

“I'm happy for you,” Ryuji says in a low tone. He reaches for one of the other man's hands under the table but Jewels moves it away from him.

“Let's not make this a big deal, okay?” Jewels raises his eyebrows at Ryuji, almost imploringly. Before Ryuji can say or do anything, Pixie returns to the table with their first round of drinks. Ann leads them all in a lengthy toast. By the time things settle down, it's clear that the opportunity is dead and gone.

\---

After walking Ann and Shiho back to the academy dorms, the two men return to the Jewels' downtown flat. They decided after leaving the bar that they needed to have their own 'celebration'. They do it in the living room, in full view of anyone who might glance up at the windows of the second story apartment. Though, as a small courtesy, they've left the lights off.

“I'm gonna miss this,” Ryuji sighs. The two of them are laid out on the floor, breathless and sweaty.

“Spontaneous bouts of fucking? Me too,” Jewels agrees.

“No, not that. I mean spendin' time together.”

“That's straying into relationship territory,” Jewels warns him, though it's halfway teasing. “How's your leg? I didn't crush it when I was riding you, right?”

“Y'ain't heavy enough to bust it up or anything but you definitely tried.”

“I'll take the participation ribbon.”

“So... Mr. Bigshot Lawyer, huh?” Ryuji turns his head to the side, reaching a hand out to brush a stray strand of pink hair off of Jewels' forehead. The other man shrinks away from the action, his eyes hardening. “Hey, don't be like that.”

“You don't have to touch me,” Jewels grumbles, fixing his hair by himself. In the light coming from the windows, his lavender colored skin looks like the beginnings of nightfall, when the sun is just barely hanging on to the sky. It's beautiful and Ryuji wishes he had the courage to say as much. “Unless it's with the intention of starting up a second round.”

“Give my dick a minute to recover and I'll think about it.”

It's quiet in the apartment, dark and comfortable and familiar. Ryuji shuts his eyes to rest, his pulse thrumming under his skin. A soft hand comes up to card through his hair, flattening the blond spikes back and away from his face. He basks for a while, letting Jewels kiss a path from his temple down to his neck. When he opens his eyes to look at the other man, Jewels is wearing an expression that Ryuji doesn't quite have a name for.

“What is it?” Ryuji asks.

“Are you in love with me?” Jewels keeps his face impassive as he asks, his voice level, his body relaxed. His ability to detach his emotions will serve him well as a lawyer and Ryuji hates to admit that. As for the question-

Ryuji does care about him. That was always going to be an inevitable outcome. He can't get involved with someone and not find reasons to care about them. Even though Jewels is the definition of stuck up and prissy. When they're not sleeping together they're usually in the middle of a fight. Ryuji definitely can't see being with someone like that long term. Had never planned on them being together long term.

At the same time, he's reminded that Jewels has a softer side. Back on Kamoshida, he was the first man that Ryuji had ever slept with. The only real friend Ryuji was able to make outside of Ann and Shiho. Jewels had always been supportive during his time at the academy. He had helped him study to pass his classes and exams. When he got passed over for assignments, Jewels was there to offer him an outlet for his frustration.

But does all that mean that he's in love with him?

“Yes and no,” Ryuji finally admits. “We're friends, friends with benefits, but still friends. Of course, I care about you man.”

“Good answer,” Jewels moves away and for the briefest of moments looks disappointed.

“Y'could'a told me you know, about law school. There's no way you weren't gonna pass the entry exam, you're too damn smart. So what's the real reason?”

“...I didn't know how to tell you,” Jewels confesses, his voice thick with emotion. Ryuji turns to look at him, surprised to see such a rare side of him. Almost as soon as it shows itself, it disappears. Jewels' expression relaxes and his voice clears. “It'll be disappointing to have to find a replacement for you. You're not the best I've ever had but it's easier to sleep with someone who knows what I like from the get-go.”

“Wow. Thanks.”

“No problem, Sunshine.”

“To be honest, I'm not sure I can do this,” Ryuji mumbles, catching Jewels' bright green eyes glimmering at him in the darkness. They're almost like the glow in the dark stars he's got on his ceiling back home. “I don't mean you 'n me. I mean the whole, goin' out into deep space thing.”

“Oh no, no way, I'm not letting you get out of going,” Jewels sits up and moves so that he's poised over-top of Ryuji. His hair is falling down into his face again and Ryuji's hands itch to fix it. “It's all you ever talk about. Ever since you were a skinny little first year at the academy you've been talking about it nonstop. What ship you wanted to get assigned to and all the planets you wanted to see.”

"I dunno, I was pretty fit in first year. Skinny and little is a stretch.”

“You. Are. Going.”

“Oh yeah? What're you gonna do to me if I don't?”

“Well, you already know I like tying you up-”

“That a threat?” Ryuji leers, fighting against the smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

“It's a promise.” Jewels hisses back, trailing his sharp fingernails down Ryuji's chest. “Guess it's finally happening. You're leaving.”

“Y'couldn't'a known I was gonna get an assignment.”

“You're so damn stubborn that I knew something would come along. You aren't overly smart or talented. No list of skills like Ann and Shiho, but you're stubborn. I've never met anyone able to achieve goals on determination alone.”

“You've never said anythin' like that to me before,” Ryuji says softly.

“It wasn't my idea of good topics for pillow talk.” Jewels sighs, moving off of Ryuji to sit down beside him. He scrunches himself up like a child, knees drawn to his chest so that he can wrap his arms around them. He looks vulnerable like that.

“Nah man, you know I would'a listened.” Ryuji insists.

“I know you would have and that's the whole problem. You're too good of a guy to be sleeping with someone like me,” Jewels turns to look at Ryuji, who opens his mouth to protest. “I'm pretty self-aware. I know the kind of person I am. The problem here is that you don't. You want to see me as a good person and I'm not.”

“You are,” Ryuji argues, sitting up so that they're at eye level. “You like to act like you don't care or that you're above it all, but that's bullshit.”

“I don't care.”

“Then why go into somethin' like law? Don't you gotta care about the things and people you're gonna be fightin' for?”

“Lawyers don't have to have an emotional connection to their clients. I've actually heard that it's better not to. I'm good at doing what needs to be done without attaching myself to the cause. I'm ideal for the job.”

“You can keep lyin' to yourself all you want,” Ryuji grumbles, his skin hot with anger. “Eventually, it's gonna catch up to you.”

“I'll have to keep running faster then, won't I?” Jewels replies in near sing-song.

“Why do you gotta be like that all the time?”

“Enough” Jewels jerked his head towards his bedroom, crooking an eyebrow at Ryuji. “I don't want to talk. I want to fuck. So either come to bed with me or go home.”

“Jewels-”

“Nope,” He stands up and gives Ryuji a firm look before turning to walk off into the bedroom. Ryuji knows that their conversation has finished for the night. He doesn't want to leave. They don't have a lot of time left together. Jewels will be finalizing his plans to leave in the morning. With a sigh, Ryuji rises to his feet and follows after him.

“What about your apartment?” Ryuji wonders aloud. There's no sign that the other man's packed anything. His apartment looks the same as always.

“Movers,” Jewels calls over his shoulder as Ryuji enters the room, stopping short in the doorway. He can't help but admire the sight of Jewels sprawled out over the sheets. “I'll let you stay the night if you come over here and fuck me.”

“Really...?” Ryuji asks, skeptical about the offer. “Y'said this mornin' that I was 'permanently banned'.”

“Technically speaking, once I move out, you will be. That and it might be our last night together, so you can stay. You have to promise to move into the living room when we're done.”

“I'll probably still keep you awake.”

“Probably. It's a wonder my neighbors didn't call the police with all that screaming last night.”

“I don't wanna stay if it's a problem,” Ryuji presses and Jewels shrugs his shoulders.

“Now that I think about it, my neighbors are probably pretty used to hearing screaming. You're pretty bad about keeping your voice down.”

“That ain't what I meant!”

“Final offer, take it or leave it,” Jewels rolls over onto his back. “You've got about ten seconds to decide. Ten, nine, eight-”

Ryuji catches the light-switch on his way into the room.

\---

In the morning, Ryuji and Jewels have breakfast together out on the patio. They watch the sunrise come up over the horizon, making small talk in low tones, their breath foggy in the cool air. When the sun is at it's highest and the heat of the day begins to finally set in, the two of them head inside for one last shower together. Clean and in fresh clothes, Jewels walks Ryuji to the transport station.

“This is it then, huh?” Ryuji asks. They're standing together in front of the ticket machines. Ryuji's got his hands pushed down into his pockets and Jewels is running his hands through his hair. They might as well be strangers for all anyone around them knows.

“This is it,” Jewels agrees, sparing Ryuji a distracted glance. He's still fussing over his hair, flipping it to one side and then the other. It's hard not to notice the thin line of his lips or the dark circles hanging under his eyes. It's obvious that he didn't get much sleep. Whether that was from his own problems or Ryuji's nightmares isn't clear. “Try not to get killed. There are so many ways to die in space.”

“Yeah, you too. I'm sure the courtroom can be pretty cutthroat. Murder trials and all.”

“You're an idiot,” Jewels laughs, shaking his head. They fall into an awkward lull of silence, willing the other to break away and finally end things.

“I know,” Ryuji sighs, rocking back and forth on his heels. He has so much that he wants to tell the other man, things he wants to remind him and things he feels he should thank him for. Instead, he holds it all inside, knowing that it would be an unwelcome gesture. He forces himself to move away, backing into the transport station. Jewels glances over and watches him go, his expression as blank as he can manage to make it.

“Maybe we'll see each other again someday.”

“Maybe,” Ryuji agrees, ignoring the pressure inside his chest. He turns on his toes and rushes blindly up a flight of stairs. The fastest way to his apartment is through a teleport terminal. He scans his pass and finds the first available one. It looks about like a tiny glass elevator, with room enough for two people if they press close together. He steps inside, breathing raggedly. “Green Pine Apartments.”

“Destination, Green Pine Apartments. Please confirm.” The terminal computer says.

“Confirmed.”

The doors close and a bright light fills Ryuji's vision, The walls of the terminal fade away. There's a brief sensation of falling and then the terminal doors come back into view and reopen. Although it's not really the same one he was in before. He's now almost five miles away from Jewels' apartment in the E-Street transport station. Ryuji shakes his head to clear it, hoping that none of his molecules got scrambled along the way. He's not a fan of the teleporters but it's faster than taking the train. Fast is important right now, he wants to get home so that he can be by himself for a while.

It's a short walk to the shabby apartment building that he rents a studio in. It's a tall brick building with nothing else noteworthy about it. He hurries up the four flights of stairs to his apartment. His hands shake as he forces his key into the lock. It sticks, and he has to jiggle it to gain entry. Once inside, he rests his back against the front door and lowers himself down to sit on the floor.

His chest hurts.

\---

Ryuji spends the first two weeks of his assignment attending 'ground training'. He spends five hours a day in a hot and stuffy classroom at the academy, watching training and safety videos. At least he's not alone, Ann and Shiho are there. They sit at the back of the classroom together, passing notes back and forth on a piece of paper. It reminds him of high school and it's not altogether a bad feeling.

If he's not at the academy he's out working through his two-week notice at his two jobs. Back when he started his first year of Defense Force training he picked up a weekend job at a bar close to the academy dorms. After graduation, it didn't eat up enough of his free time. He found a second job working at a small hover-car repair shop. He's worked both of them in tandem for the past few years and because of this, his employers are sad to see him go.

The bulk of Kaneshiro's workforce is academy students or those who are on longer-term shore leaves. Employees flow in and out of businesses like the tide. Ryuji can't count the number of new hires he's had to train over the years. It's a relief to know that he'll never have to go through that again. Although his time working was well spent, he's ready to move on to something better.

He pays his rent up until the end of the month, even though he won't be living there that long. It's a place to sleep until the _Phantom_ approves for him to board. He gets a small storage unit to keep his things in while he's away. His entire adult life fits inside a five-foot by ten-foot box. It's depressing in a way he wasn't expecting. There are things he wishes he could take with him but he's not allowed to bring excess. Only what fits inside an AMES issued duffel bag, which admittedly, isn't much.

He's filled the bulk of it up with his new uniform clothes. Three of each long and short sleeved shirts, two pairs of heavy-duty work pants and coveralls, a dress uniform, jacket, sweatshirt, pants, and socks. All emblazoned with 'AMES: Alliance Of Emergency Services'. He's allowed to supply his own underwear, a fact he finds amusing. He can't imagine what AMES issued underwear would look like.

Most of the clothes are black and there are rumors that it's because it's harder to stain. From what Ryuji's heard from Ann and Shiho, stains are something that happens a lot on medical ships. Blood is the most obvious but that's the least concerning. He tries not to think about that.

His personal effects consist of a photo of his mother, comics, snacks, and a shirt he stole from Jewels. The two of them haven't spoken since Jewels left town. Although he did send Ryuji a message to let him know that he had arrived at his new apartment. It's still hard to accept the way things ended between them. There's a hole left behind that Ryuji hasn't yet found a way to fill. More likely he's not ready to fill it.

The only silver lining to it all is Ann and Shiho. He never dreamed they would all get assigned to the same vessel, never mind the same task force team. Although to be fair, he also hadn't planned on an AMES assignment.

“Hey Space Cadet, you feel okay?” Ryuji glances up to see Shiho staring at him with an open expression of concern. They're at the tail end of their two weeks of ground training. All that's left is the final exam that will earn them permission to board the _Phantom_.

“Fine. I can't figure out some of these questions,” Ryuji gestures to his ComTab. On the screen, his mock exam paper is half unfilled. “We didn't learn a lot about AMES during Defense Force trainin'. They both train at Shujin Academy, but Defense Force is military while AMES is...?”

“It's a publicly funded medical program,” Shiho explains. “They specialize in search and rescue, humanitarian efforts, and medical research. Anytime we go down to a new planet we expose the native species to our technology, our diseases, our foods. And vise-versa. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's a bad thing. AMES handles the logistics of that.”

“Shit. I never thought of it that way before.”

“The biggest thing is that they're non-denominational. They're funded by the colonies and their allies, but AMES works for the larger public.” Shiho continues. “Even planets considered enemies by Defense Force standards aren't enemies by AMES standards. Planets that reject becoming allied with the colonies usually still welcome AMES.”

“If it was a military operation, then they wouldn't be able to operate as freely as they do now,” Ann adds, her expression thoughtful. “It's a weird gray area. They're structured like a military operation, with ranks and a hierarchy. There are definitely laws that govern what AMES can do or not do. At the end of the day though, AMES is its own organization.”

“It's a shame too. The Defense Force has always been the face of space exploration but AMES has made so many important discoveries too. They're able to build relationships with new planets in ways that the Defense Force isn't able to.”

“What do you mean?” Ryuji is definitely beginning to feel a sense of uncomfortable confusion. Everything he had ever heard about AMES seems to go in the opposite direction of what Shiho and Ann are saying. “Gimme an example.”

“Let's see,” Shiho thinks for a moment, mindlessly tapping the top of her pen against the desk. “The development of the Fade Vaccine.”

“That was because of the Defense Force, wasn't it? I mean they found the planet with the doc who developed the vaccine. So isn't that their discovery?”

“The Defense Force found the planet but it was AMES that made the vaccine possible. They provided the tools, the extra research, and they helped produce and distribute the vaccine.”

“You sayin' that the Defense Force took all the credit?” Ryuji's surprised by the suggestion. It's something that's never occurred to him before.

“In a way, yes. Although, that's my opinion on it.”

“I definitely hadn't thought of it like that,” Ryuji confesses. He can feel Ann and Shiho staring at him and it occurs to him that they're as surprised as he is. “They didn't teach us that sort of thing in the Defense Force program. Whenever AMES came up it was sort of like a halfhearted mention.”

“Sounds about right. The two organizations definitely don't see eye to eye,” Ann speaks in a low tone, casting a glance over her shoulder towards the other students. It doesn't seem like anyone is tuning in to their conversation but it's better to be cautious. Some students in the room are Defense Force and it's definitely not a good idea to rile them. “I mean, the Defense Force was founded on Shido. I've heard talk that the entire organization was corrupt back then. That it might still be.”

“No way. Captain Kidd was one of the top leaders. He'd have known if that was the case. He'd have done somethin'.”

"Ryuji...” Ann sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. The Captain's role in Ryuji's life has always been a sore spot between the two. “I know he was important to you, to your family but I still think you've got this hero worship thing-”

“Like hell I do!” Ryuji snaps, drawing the attention of a few nearby students. He takes a deep breath to lower his voice. “Don't start that shit with me.”

“Your view of him isn't a reliable argument for this topic of conversation.”

“So now we're arguin'?!”

“Shh, both of you cut it out,” Shiho hisses, holding her hands up to act as a mediator. “We can sit and argue about AMES vs Defense Force all day but it's not going to help us pass our exam.”

“Sorry, you're right,” Ann concedes, turning back to her mock exam. “The next question is about the action plan AMES developed during the Shido Incident.”

“Page twenty-one of our workbooks explains it in detail,” Ryuji pulls the page up on his ComTab and holds it out for the girls to see. When Ann crooks an eyebrow at him, he adds, “I only know because I was readin' about it last night.”

“It's only been four years since the Shido incident,” Ann murmurs, turning her eye to gaze out a nearby window. “Do you think Commander Kurusu will talk about it? I mean, he was there. He helped evacuate all those civilians. It was something like eight-hundred people. It's completely crazy that he's going to be our commanding officer. He's not that much older than we are.”

“What was he like?” Shiho turns to Ryuji, eyes wide with questions.

“Huh? I only talked to him for like, a couple of minutes,” Ryuji thinks back to his first meeting with the Commander. He tries to recall details or if he felt anything specific. “To be honest, he seemed real normal. If ya met him on the street and didn't know who he was he wouldn't catch your attention.”

“I hope that means he's a humble person. I can't imagine serving under someone who has some blown up ego.”

“Yeah me either.”

“Attention,” The instructor interrupts their conversation. He moves to stand at the head of the class, addressing the entire room. “There's been a change of plan for those of you who have assignments on the _Phantom_.”

The trio exchange a nervous glance at the mention of their ship.

“The following people need to head immediately to Commander Kawakami's office. Let's see: Cha'nkah, Mishima, Sakamoto, Suzui, and Takamaki. Everyone else please continue with your work.”

“Come on, we should go,” Shiho stands first and begins to gather her things. Ann and Ryuji follow suit and the three of them head out into the hallway.

“Shit, this sounds bad,” Ryuji grumbles, his head spinning with anxiety. “You don't think we're bein' reassigned or somethin', right?”

“I don't know,” Ann whispers back, her eyes wide with distress. “I've heard of last-minute reassignments. So it is a possibility.”

“That's only in rare cases,” Shiho tries to encourage them but her words don't ease the nerves.

Ryuji glances ahead towards the other two officers. One is a familiar face, Mishima Yuuki. He had been their classmate all throughout high school and a long time friend of Ann and Shiho's. The other is someone Ryuji's never seen before, a member of the reptilian race known as the Gol.

They look about like humanoid lizards and the one in front of Ryuji is nearing seven feet in height. His body is covered in a thick layer of russet-colored scales and his face is more Draconian than most. Long sharpened horns adorn either side of his face and a scar runs down the center of his head, a bright pink line that disrupts the surrounding scales.

“I've never seen a Gol in AMES before,” Ann whispers to Ryuji. He has to agree. Most of them that come to the Earth Colonies join up with the Defense Force right away. They're well known for their desire to fight and seek fame. It's hard for Ryuji to imagine such an aggressive species offering medical care.

Before Ryuji can dwell on that thought, they've arrived in the administrator's building. It's where they received their assignments less than two weeks ago. A few other AMES officers are milling about but the waiting area looks bare compared to how it was before.  
  
“This isn't a nature hike. Please hurry yourselves along,” Commander Kawakami stands at the head of the hallway leading to her office. She looks like a gatekeeper, her eyes scanning over the assembled crowd. She runs down a roll-call list of nearly two dozen names and then steps to the side to move them all in.

Down the hallway, they enter her office where they crowd themselves around the front of her desk. An officer from AMES is waiting for them behind it. She stands up out of her chair as they enter the room. “This is Officer Makoto Nijima of the AMES flagship the _Phantom_. Please give her your attention.”

“I apologize for interrupting your studies. However, the plans surrounding your assignments have changed,” Officer Nijima begins. She picks her ComTab up off the top of the desk and taps her finger a few times over the screen. In his pocket, Ryuji can feel his own ComTab vibrate with a notification. “I've sent the full mission briefing to your tablets for you to read later. I will summarize what is about to happen.”

Ryuji tries not to be annoyed by the fact that his personal tablet is already somehow linked to the AMES servers. He focuses his attention on Officer Nijima.

“AMES requires that all incoming officers pass the ground training exam. We do not allow anyone to board until they have passed. However, at around 21:00 yesterday evening we received a distress call. It was coming from one of our allied planets, Murn 17-63. The _Phantom_ is the closest ship to that region of space. All personnel are being called back to the ship for an immediate departure. This includes all new recruits. You all need to leave here and prepare to board within the next hour.”

“Please keep in mind that while we are allowing you to board, you are not certified to work. You will still need to complete the ground training exam. After that, you'll meet with your head commanders for assessment and assignment to your squadrons.” Officer Nijima glances over the assembly, her red eyes settling on Ryuji. “Any further questions will be answered once we are on board. Please be sure to write them down for later reference. Collect your belongings and assemble at Dock G.”

“You are all dismissed,” Kawakami opens the door to her office, sweeping her hand to encourage them to leave. Ryuji, Ann, and Shiho crowd into line, awaiting their turn to exit, when she calls out, “Except you, Sakamoto.”

A jolt of shock and unease runs through Ryuji's body. His eyes begin to search out Ann and Shiho's. Their faces are grim, probably a mirror of his own expression. Before any of them can say or do anything more, Kawakami ushers the two of them out of her office.

“What's goin' on? I'm not gonna be allowed on board, am I?” Ryuji tries to keep his voice level, he doesn't want to come off as disrespectful, though he's sure his panic is evident. His fists ball up at his sides. He tucks them behind his back and tries not to fidget but staying still has never been one of his strong suits.

“Not at all,” Nijima says, eyebrows rising in a look of surprise. She gestures towards the door to Kawakami's office where a third woman is entering. Her long white lab coat flows around her, embroidered with the AMES logo on the breast pocket. “This is Dr. Tae Takemi, Chief Medical Officer on the _Phantom_.”

“Uh, hello,” Ryuji murmurs. He wishes he had said something a bit more eloquent, she is a high ranking officer after all. Except that the doctor doesn't look like she cares very much for pleasantries. In fact, she looks very little like a doctor at all. More like a mortician, or a rock artist, both seem likely. Dark eyeliner rims her eyes and she's wearing a very unprofessional spiked choker. Ryuji isn't sure what he's supposed to think of her.

“I'll take it from here,” The doctor says airily, spinning on her heels to exit the room. Ryuji hesitates to follow, looking to Nijima and Kawakami for encouragement. Kawakami's face is stern as she jerks her head towards the door. It's her way of effectively dismissing him from her office.

“Good luck out there, Sakamoto,” She tells him, shutting her office door before he can voice a reply.

“Come on,” Takemi says, waiting for Ryuji to catch up to her. She's a bit shorter than he is, though her strides are long and measured. She moves at a brisk pace across the campus, leading Ryuji to an unknown destination. A nervousness settles itself inside his stomach. “Stop making that face.”

Ryuji balks for a moment at her harsh tone, “Excuse me?”

“You look like you've eaten something sour.”

“Well can ya blame me? I got no idea what's goin' on here.”

“You've been living as a civilian for the past two years, correct?” Takemi bends her head down over her ComTab and continues walking. She hardly looks up as they make their way into a large building full of unmarked hallways. “You can relax Sakamoto, this is a pre-boarding medical exam.”

“Yeah, more or less,” Ryuji answers her earlier question. His shoulders remain tightly hinged. A medical exam. He definitely doesn't like the sound of that, but he doesn't have any room to refuse. They're always required of officers going into deep space.

“Have you been off-world in the past two years?”

“No.”

“Are you allergic to any known foods, medications, pollens-?”

“Not that I know of.” Ryuji follows her into a small examination room. It looks like any other he's ever been in, examination table, sink, counter, desk, one of those wheeled stools.

“Any current medications?”

“Cypronex. I don't sleep very well,” Ryuji says offhand. He's too busy staring at the walls. Beside the typical posters of human anatomy are posters of several ally species. One, in particular, is the explicit inner workings of the female Miter. They're a bird-like species of humanoid aliens. He can't help staring at it, it's _so_ bizarre.

Takemi clears her throat to pull his attention back to her. One of her eyebrows is raised sternly above the other. She pulls the privacy curtain closed between them, giving him a chance to undress.

“Both your shirt and pants, please.”

Ryuji strips down to his boxers and tries not to feel ashamed of the pair he's wearing. They're bright pink with a neon green waistband, a gift from Jewels as a joke. He's glad he's not the type to go around commando all the time. That would have been an even worse situation and thinking about it has his ears burning. He lays down on the examination table, shivering against its cold metallic surface.

“Are you ready?” She asks and Ryuji wants to say no, but there's no sense in that.

“Ready as I'll ever be,” He decides that's a good enough reply. Takemi draws the curtain back and comes to stand at the side of the table. She runs down a list of typical checks. Dozens of computers appear from panels in the ceiling to scan him. She ducks between them to collect her readings. Meaningless lights and colors flash around Ryuji's head. It's a dizzy display of information he doesn't understand.

“Tell me about this,” She says, motioning her tablet stylus towards his false leg. “It doesn't look commercial.”

“It's not. It's completely homemade.” Ryuji explains as Takemi leans in to get a better look at the circuitry.

“Is it waterproof?”

“Completely submersible.”

“Flammable?”

“Not any more so than a commercial prosthetic.”

“I'll need to receive schematics for it from you after boarding. You can bring them by my office,” Takemi's hand moves rapidly as she takes notes on her tablet.

“Schematics, huh?” Ryuji murmurs, biting his bottom lip. “There ain't any.”

“What do you mean?”

“It's like I said, it's completely homemade. I didn't use schematics or anything like that. I just sort of,” Ryuji shrugs his shoulders and waves his arms vaguely. “built it.”

Dr. Takemi crooks an eyebrow at him. “You 'just sort of built it'?”

“That's what I said. Innit it?”

“I see,” She tucks her ComTab into her jacket pocket and crosses her arms over her chest. “We'll have to have our tech analyst take a look at it then. For safety and medical reasons I'll need to know as much about the inner workings as possible.”

“Am I gonna be allowed on board?”

Ignoring Ryuji's question, the doctor's eyes flick up towards one of the wall screens. “Ah. Your heart rate went up.”

“Y'gonna answer me or not?!”

“Don't worry, we're allowing you on board. I don't do medical exams without a reason.”

“Jeeze! Just say so next time,” Ryuji sighs as some of the tension leaves his body. He's about to sit up when Takemi holds up a hand to stop him.

“We're not finished,” She presses a few buttons on a control screen above the bed. A small panel opens up out of the wall and a tray slides out. Ryuji's eyes lock onto the syringes laid out over its surface. “You'll need a full course of vaccinations required for AMES officers.”

“I already got the boosters durin' my Defense Force trainin'. They're supposed to be good for ten years.”

“AMES requires things that the Defense Force doesn't.”

“C'mon man, er, ma'am. You're kiddin', right?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Takemi's eyes glisten with what Ryuji can only describe as excitement. A chill runs up his spine, and he shifts himself to the far side of the table. His eyes flick toward the door and then back toward the syringe tray.

“That looks like way too many needles. Isn't there a rule against how many vaccines can be given in a day?”

“Usually we try to limit it to two, but we don't have time to wait. You'll need to get them all done today.”

“Won't they react to each other?”

“It's unlikely, but then again, they might. Everyone's biology is a bit different.” Takemi washes her hands and pulls on a pair of gloves. “We'll watch you for signs of a reaction.”

“That isn't very reassuring,” Ryuji gripes as he curls his fingers around the edges of the table. She uses an alcohol wipe to clean a small circle of space on his upper arm. His skin feels cold where the liquid dries. She picks up the first syringe, filled with a bright amber colored liquid.

He can do this. He has to do this.

“You'll survive. ...Maybe.”

Before Ryuji can react, she's got the needle under his skin. He jumps without meaning to. The injection hurts. Like he's been sucker-punched in the shoulder. He takes a deep breath and lets it out from between his clenched teeth. God, he hates needles. She covers the needle prick with a small band-aid. It's black with tiny green Old-Earth style aliens on it.

“That's pretty culturally insensitive,” Ryuji remarks, rotating his arm to admire the design.

“Probably,” Takemi shrugs her shoulders and picks up the next syringe. “Most of my patients seem to find them amusing.”

“There's always that one person who complains-Fuck! That hurt!” Ryuji jerks again, recoiling from the sudden sting that shoots up his left thigh. She's driven a large needle into it and is slowly dispensing its clear contents.

“You know what else hurts? Hyshan Influenza. In humans it makes their tongues swell up and their eyes fall out. I promise you that that hurts a lot more than these shots do. So you shouldn't complain.”

“You're makin' that up.”

“Believe what you want to.”

“Your bedside manner sucks.”

“I've been told,” Takemi removes the needle. She covers the bead of blood with another one of her decorative band-aids. This one is blue with tiny silver flying saucers adorning it. Ryuji resists the urge to roll his eyes. He's wondering once again if she's really a medical professional. “For this next one, no- two, I need you to roll over and pull your shorts down.”

“Excuse me?!”

“It's the only place these can be administered.”

“No way!” Ryuji exclaims, eyeing the three remaining syringes. Two of them are larger like the one that went into his leg. The final one is by far the worst, a thick needle with its own mechanical injection system. “Y-You really gotta give me a shot in the ass?! Twice?!”

Takemi makes a soft noise of confirmation. Her fingers are working to open another alcohol pad. “You better hurry up. We have to be at the dock and ready to board in a half hour.”

“No effin' way.”

“Clock's ticking.”

Ryuji swallows his pride and rolls over onto his stomach. He buries his face in his arms.

“Do it.”

Two injections later he's up off the table shrugging his way back into his clothes. His ass hurts in a way that's entirely unpleasant.

“What about that one?” He asks, pointing to the final syringe, the one with its own injection system and the largest needle. He's grateful that it wasn't one of the ones to assault his backside.

“It's a Fade booster,” Takemi explains, lifting it up so that Ryuji can see the contents. Through a tiny glass window in the side of the injector, he can see an inky black liquid stored inside.

He has vague memories of being pulled out of class at fourteen and taken to the nurse's office. His mother had come down to the school to stand by as doctors from Shido administered the vaccine to him. His fingers trail up to feel along the right side of his neck, where his pulse is strongest. He traces over the small indented scar left in his skin by the original vaccine.

“I don't remember if it hurt or not,” Ryuji tells her, though he's not sure why. “I was just a kid then. Probably thought it was cool or somethin'.”

“You likely cried. Or passed out.”

“I didn't cry!”

“I can't tell you the number of grown men I've brought to tears with this vaccine.”

“I won't be one of them.” Ryuji insists, sitting at the edge of the examination table. He curls his hands into tight fists to keep them steady, something to ground himself with. Takemi places the end of the injector at the base of his neck, his pulse throbs against the metal.

“Take a deep breath,” Takemi advises. Ryuji inhales, filling his lungs to near capacity. The injector clicks as it drives the needle into his skin and pain explodes along his shoulder. The air exits his lungs in a rush. His vision begins to darken around the edges. Takemi's hands steady him, holding him upright.

The entire ordeal ends with his face buried inside a trash bin.  
  
\---

As soon as Ryuji regains his ability to walk, Takemi sweeps him away to his apartment. He quickly gathers his bag and turns in his keys. One teleporter ride later, they've arrived at the spaceport. They're running late, mostly due to Ryuji's ragged state. Takemi is half-supporting and half-dragging him towards the security checkpoint. Other people inside the spaceport are staring at him. He can tell by their faces that it's not pretty.

For his part, he's doing his best to stay upright. His bag is heavy on his sore shoulder, still aching from the injections in his arm and neck. Sweat drips down his back and his stomach churns with nausea. He gets a brief moment of rest as his bag his scanned by the security officers. They remove a bag of chips, citing it as 'unauthorized contraband', before shoving him through the body scanner. Once they're on the other side of security, they hurry to Dock G to await the shuttled with the other AMES officers. Ryuji halfheartedly searches for Ann and Shiho. He's not able to find them among the mass of bodies swarming around.

“We'll be boarding soon,” Takemi says, leading him to a small section of seats. Other young offers have filled in most of the chairs, but she manages to find them a quiet place in the corner to sit down. “Are you going to make it?”

“Yeah,” Ryuji sighs, resting his head against the wall behind his chair. “Now I know why I don't remember getting the vaccine the first time.”

“It can be intense. I'll get you some water.”

“Thanks.”

Ryuji shuts his eyes and listens to the chatter of the other officers. Like him, many of them are going on assignment for the first time, with a few veterans among them. There's talk about squadrons and job assignments. Speculations about what planets they might get to visit. Guesses on what new things they might discover. It's all in stark contrast to the reality of the situation. They're heading off on a distress mission, yet there's so much excitement in the air that it's tangible. Ryuji is certain that he too would share in it if he didn't feel so poorly.

He's halfway to dozing when something cold and solid presses against the side of his forehead. Takemi's returned with his water. He takes the bottle from her, nuzzling his face against the plastic. When he opens his eyes say thank you, he's floored to see that it's not Takemi standing over him, but Commander Kurusu. The Commander is staring down at Ryuji through concern lidded eyes.

“Sir,” Ryuji croaks as his head lolls to the side. He's having a hard time keeping it upright. His whole body feels limp and useless.

“Here, lay your head on me,” The Commander sits down next to Ryuji, offering up his shoulder for a headrest.

“S'no way I can do that,” Ryuji argues, still enough in his right mind to know better. Not only would it be awkward as hell, but would give his fellow officers the wrong idea. The last thing Ryuji wants to do on his first day is land himself a bad reputation. “'preciate it, Sir, but I can't.”

“Why not?”

“Social suicide.”

“Ah, I see.” This explanation seems to amuse the Commander. His lips turn up in a small smile, and he nods his head in understanding. He shrugs out of his AMES jacket and balls it up, pushing it into the space between Ryuji's head and the chair. The fabric of it smells good and it takes Ryuji a lot of strength not to bury his face deeper into it. It must be the Commander's cologne or something.

“Thanks,” Ryuji says after resting for a while. His gratitude is about ten minutes overdue. “Sorry. I forgot to say it. M'heads pretty fuzzy right now.”

“It's no problem.”

As an afterthought, Ryuji adds, “Thank you, _sir_.”

He doesn't want to come off as disrespectful after all.

“Guess you found your manners on the trip over here,” Takemi's sitting on the other side of him. Her sudden appearance startles him so bad that he jumps. “Polar opposite to how he acted towards me.”

“Sounds like someone's bitter,” The Commander speaks in a playful tone. Takemi's soft laughter gets swallowed up by an overhead announcement.

“Welcome to Kaneshiro Interplanetary Spaceport. Shuttlebuses G1 to G10 will be boarding shortly, passage to the AMES Flagship, _Phantom_. Please check your boarding pass for your assigned shuttlebus and line up accordingly. Shuttlebuses will be leaving their docks fifteen-minutes after boarding completes. I repeat, shuttlebuses G1 to G10, passage to AMES Flagship _Phantom_ , will be leaving fifteen minutes after scheduled boarding times.”

“Looks like that's us,” Takemi says, helping Ryuji to his feet. He flounders for a moment, his balance too unsteady for him to reach down and gather his bag.

“Tae, he looks pretty bad,” The Commander mutters as he retrieves his jacket from where Ryuji left it on the seat. He wraps it around Ryuji's shoulders and sends a rush of heat up into the blond's ears. “Are you feeling dizzy?”

“Only a little,” Ryuji lies. The whole situation has been nothing short of embarrassing. He can't stand how pathetic he is, on his first day, in front of his commanding officer. In front of his hot commanding officer. “I'll be okay to walk. I jus' need my bag.”

“I'll get it for you. Go with Dr. Takemi.”

“I'm supposed to be on shuttle G8-”

“You're boarding with us,” Takemi explains as the Commander reaches down to pick up Ryuji's bag. He slings it over his shoulder along with his own duffel. The weight doesn't seem to bother him. He's wearing a unique version of the AMES long-sleeved uniform shirt. The collar runs high up his neck and the fabric pulls tight against his body. Ryuji can see that he's well muscled. This more than the dizziness is a momentary distraction. Fuck. “I'll give you medical clearance.”

“Not gonna argue,” Ryuji mumbles as he's lead towards the boarding area. Ten rows of AMES officers are lining up to get onto the shuttles. He thinks for a moment he can see Ann's long blond hair, but he doesn't get a good look. The line he stands in is shorter than the rest. Shuttle G1 is for AMES' elite. The officers in front of Takemi all look to be high ranking and it's a shock when Ryuji sees someone he knows. “Narukami!”

Yu Narukami, Officer Dojima's nephew. He had heard long ago that Yu had joined up with AMES but Ryuji never expected they would be on the same vessel.

“Sakamoto,” Yu greets, stepping back through the line so that they can talk. “What are you doing here?”

“It's a long freakin' story,” Ryuji laughs. It hurts his chest and shoulder, so he cuts it short. “I'm assigned to AMES.”

“Dojima said you went off to join the Defense Force.”

“Yeah, well, I'm here now.”

“It must be a very long story,” Yu decides, speaking in a tone that suggests he's already lost interest. He perks back up as the Commander approaches. “Kurusu, is he one of yours?”

“My new project,” The Commander says, in a tone that's almost ominous. Ryuji feels a bit like a child who's being spoken over. It's clear that Commander Kurusu and Narukami know one another well. They must be close in rank, their familiarity speaks volumes. “You two know each other?”

“We're both from Kamoshida. Used to hang out when we were kids,” Yu pauses and looks at Ryuji. He subtly winks one of his eyes and then lifts his head to address the Commander again. “He'll make a good addition to your team.”

Glowing from the praise, Ryuji hardly notices when Takemi takes hold of one of his arms. She says something offhand to the two men and pulls him up towards the front of the line. If this bothers any of the other officers, they don't say anything. Takemi commands a different kind of authority. It's clear that you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone bold enough to argue with her.

“My patient and I need priority boarding,” Takemi announces. The woman scanning boarding passes takes one look at Ryuji, makes a face, and then nods. Within a few short moments, they're being led onto the shuttle. It's nicer than the one Ryuji came to Kaneshiro on. The seats are plush and well spaced apart, with rows of three seats on either side of small tables. It reminds him of booths at a restaurant and it's so unnecessary. The flight up to the _Phantom_ will be a half hour ride, at best. “Lay down.”

“Y'don't have to tell me twice,” Ryuji lays out over his entire three chair row and shuts his eyes. “How long am I going to have to feel like this?”

“Once we're on board I can check your vitals. If you aren't on the verge of a heart attack or something, I'll give you medicine to ease some of your symptoms.”

The rest of the AMES officers board. Despite having fewer seats than a normal shuttle, there's plenty of room for everyone to space out. Both he and Takemi get to keep their rows for themselves. He isn't sure if it's because of his haggard appearance or Takemi's sharp eyes. No one seems to want to sit near them. At least until the Commander boards. He and Narukami seat themselves on the other side of the aisle.

As Ryuji thought, shuttlebus G1 seems to for higher ranking officers. Many of the passengers are older, at least by Ryuji's standards. There's a man sitting one row up from the Commander and Narukami who's beginning to gray around the temple. Ryuji wonders what his rank is, it's hard to tell with AMES. They don't wear their ranks on their clothing like the Defense Force. Everyone dresses virtually the same.

“Innit it a little... Dicey to put all your best officers on the same ship?” He asks Takemi. Shuttlebuses are not designed for any kind of combat. It would be easy to gather enough Intel to know which shuttle to hit. She stares at him like he's said something completely unfathomable. “An enemy ship could take everyone out.”

“AMES is a medical service. We don't have the same security concerns that the Defense Force has.”

“Still doesn't make it a good idea.”

“Hypothetically, if we were attacked by an enemy ship, they would have a hell of a time escaping afterward. Word travels fast among allied planets and AMES has many many friends across the galaxy. ” Takemi crosses one of her long legs over the other and turns her attention to her ComTab. “The sooner you stop thinking like a Defense Force officer, the better.”

Ryuji bristles at her words, offended, though he knows she's right.

'Focus on the task in front of you', Captain Kidd had once told him, back when he was learning how to cope without two legs. Ryuji had been consumed by his anger and loss. He had allowed it to drive him up against a wall. The Captain's words brought his life back into focus. He desperately wants to bring his life into focus now. To do that he knows he'll have to cast away all the training he had before. Until the day he earns his transfer papers, until the day he's assigned to a Defense Force ship, he's an AMES officer.

With that thought in mind, Ryuji sits up to watch as the shuttlebus slips away from the spaceport. The shuttle's computer reminds the passengers to put on their seat-belts as it sails up into the sky. The shuttle's thrusters kick on and it causes the cabin to shake as they begin building speed. They need to be going fast enough to break through the planet's burning atmosphere. The world outside Ryuji's window is a rapid blur of blues and whites. He can't even see the ground below.

When they've reached max speed, there's a sharp crack of electricity. The shuttle's shield has kicked on. A bubble-like force-field surrounds it, protecting the outside layers from burning away. The ship computers adjust for the change in gravity. It controls the conditions in the cabin to ensure that the passengers don't float up out of their seats. The ride becomes so smooth that Ryuji has to double check to make sure that they haven't stopped.

His heart is pounding inside his chest and for the first time, he feels a rush of excitement breaking. He's going out into deep space.

The shuttle slips free of the planet's last layer of atmosphere and jerks as they enter open space. The other passengers hardly seem to notice, but Ryuji's head knocks against the window. Takemi covers her mouth with her palm to hide the smirk spreading across her face. He glares at her and tries not to feel off-put by his blunder. He's easily distracted by the view outside his window. It's as if the entire night sky has swallowed them up. Darkness and distant stars are all he can see.

“Holy shit,” He whispers, breath fogging up the glass.

“Didn't you come from Kamoshida?” Takemi asks, watching him with a waggish smile. “You've been in space before.”

“I was an aisle seat. I couldn't see out the window this well on that trip.”

“There's really not much _to_ see.”

“Are you kiddin'?! Look at it! It's... Space," Ryuji gestures wildly towards the window, catching the attention of nearby passengers. They seem to share in Takemi's amusement and a few of them chuckle at his enthusiasm. Embarrassed, Ryuji ducks his head down and lowers his voice. “Maybe you're used to it but I think it's real cool.”

“I understand,” Takemi returns her attention to her ComTab. Ryuji spends the rest of the flight with his eyes glued to the window. The scenery is much the same the entire ride but that doesn't bother him. He stares out at the endless horizon, wondering what he'll see, where he'll go. His assignment is finally beginning and the whole thing feels like a dream. He hopes he doesn't have to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Ryuji ever make it onto the ship? Find out next time!


	4. Act 1.4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji learns the ropes. 
> 
> Akira reveals his secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for anyone who is emetophobic. It's not graphic, but it's still a thing that happens. 
> 
> I reeeeeeeeeeeally wanted this to be up for Ryuji's birthday, but it so did not happen. 
> 
> Remember how I said last chapter that I 'didn't feel right posting a 20k chapter'? This chapter is 20k and some change. But there was literally no way I could chop it down. I had a set list of events that I needed to happen, so here's a bigg'un for all of you to read. I get the feeling that long chapters are going to become the norm for this fic. 
> 
> This chapter is a lot of long-winded talking by the characters. Sorry if that's not your thing. I am also my own editor, so beware of typos.
> 
> Also, sorry Mishima. :(

* * *

**Name – Ryuji Sakamoto**  
  
**Location – The _Phantom_  - AMES Flagship, Shuttlebus Hangar **

* * *

  
The shuttlebuses dock in a small hangar bay at the back of the ship. New crew-members get sorted out from old. Many of the officers from Ryuji's shuttle hurry off to help with the orientation process. Ryuji finally spots Ann and Shiho, but he's unable to catch their attention. Takemi ushers him away from the crowds and into a nearby empty hallway.

"Sorry to disappoint you but you won't be joining with the others. Not yet, anyway. I need to get you down to my office for an examination.” Takemi leads him into a transporting elevator. “Med Bay.”

 _> > Medical Bay <<_ The computer repeats back.

Ryuji feels the slight sensation of movement as they're taken to another part of the ship. The ride is short and Takemi steps through the doors almost the same moment they open. Med Bay makes up an entire floor of the ship, as indicated by a map inside the transporter. It looks like any standard hospital. There's a desk to check in at and a small area of chairs that make up a waiting area. Three hallways branch off from the waiting room, each cordoned off by a pair of heavy metal doors.

Takemi approaches the closest set of doors and pulls a card from her pocket. She scans it through the reader on the wall and the doors swing open. She glances back over her shoulder as if she's only just remembered that Ryuji is with her. With a slight jerk of her head, she steps inside.

They walk through the middle of a large emergency room. Half a dozen beds sit on either side of a widely spaced aisle. There's small private rooms, a triage area, and a well-stocked nurse's station. Beyond it, is Takemi's private medical suit. A wide door acts as a sentry to the largest examination room Ryuji's ever been in.

“Lay down,” Takemi gestures towards the exam table. “Now that I've got my full medical arsenal, I'll be able to better check your vitals. We'll also make sure that the vaccines aren't having any adverse reactions.”

Ryuji hops up onto the table and lies on his back. Takemi presses a few buttons on her ComTab and the machines above his head go to work. Like before, they scan his body several times, sending the information to the tablet. Takemi's eyes glow, reflecting the light coming from the screen. She looks like a mad scientist and Ryuji tries not to let that unnerve him too much.

“What's going on with your left eye and ear?” Takemi asks. The question is so unexpected that Ryuji doesn't know what to say.

“Oh, uh,” He struggles for a moment to find the proper explanation.

“Hearin' is about fifty-fifty on that side. Eye is pretty good most of the time, a little fuzzy in the dark. M'dad used to knock me around some when I was a kid.”

Takemi's eyes flash surreptitiously towards his leg, but she makes no comment on it.

“We can fix them,” Takemi offers instead.

“Whoa, what?” Ryuji's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at her offer. "Docs on Kamoshida said there wasn't anythin' they could do for it."

“Of course they did," She looks skyward towards the ceiling and pinches the bridge of her nose. With a long sigh, she adds, “Colony doctors don't have the technology that AMES has. Kamoshida especially seems to lack updates in their medical technology."

“For real?! I went to the hospital in the capital. I thought they were the best."

“By Kamoshida standards, they might be. In any case, we'll schedule to have those repaired."

“I had no idea AMES could do stuff like that," Ryuji murmurs, earning a sympathetic glance from the doctor.

“I'm finished with your exam," Takemi sweeps her hand towards the right side of the room. Behind a large pane of frosted glass lies her personal office. She excuses herself to it.

“So how'd I do?" He asks as he enters the office. He's surprised by its lush interior. All the furniture is modern and sleek. An L shaped desk takes up most of the space with a computer on one end and Old Earth style books on the other. She's got more of them behind her desk, crammed into a dozen or so shelves that make up a large bookcase. Ryuji's surprised to see such a collection. ComTabs have made paper books almost obsolete.

“Everything seems fine so far. I still haven't cleared you for active duty yet. You'll need to come back in the morning for another check.” Takemi glances at him from behind her computer screen.

“Are you still feeling dizzy or nauseated?”

“No, I'm okay now. You've got a lot of books."

“Most of them are Old-Earth medical books and journals. I reference them sometimes."

“Where'd you get them?" Ryuji asks as his eyes continue to sweep the room. He catches sight of a small cot set up in the corner of the room. From the way the sheets are rumpled, it looks well-used. She must sleep in her office a lot.

“Most of them used to belong to Akira," Takemi says, then pauses to correct herself, “I mean Commander Kurusu."

“I figured." Ryuji replies dryly. He's surprised to hear her call the Commander by his first name.

“Anyway," She interjects, pulling his attention back to the results of his medical exam. “You'll likely be sore for a few days. Keep an eye out for any swelling or discoloration around the injection sites. If you begin to feel short of breath or you have a fever, you'll need to come back here immediately.”

“Got it,” Ryuji takes a half-step into the room. “Where should I go from here?”

“Go back the way you came in. You should be able to get to the lift, right?”

“Yeah, I can make it back there. After that?”

“You'll need to go down to the auditorium. That's where the rest of the orientation will be. I'll send a map of the ship to your ComTab. You can use it to help you find your way,” Takemi stands up so that she can lead Ryuji back out. Before he steps through the doors she offers him a small bottle of pills. “Take those if you start to feel sick again. Come back in the morning first thing for a recheck.”

“I'll be here.” Ryuji takes the bottle from her and tucks it away in his pocket. He steps out, relieved to finally be free of his medical escort. Using the map she sent, he makes his way down a few floors in search of the auditorium.

Everything inside the ship is crisp, white, and new. It's only been in operation for four years. Ryuji was beginning his first year at the academy when the _Phantom_ launched on its maiden voyage. He remembers watching on TV as it disconnected from the spacedock for the first time. The sight had captivated him. He never would have imagined that someday he'd be aboard it.

A true ship fanatic, he researched it in detail after receiving his assignment. The _Phantom_ is currently the largest ship in the AMES fleet, designed for large scale rescues. AMES ships of the past were smaller up until the Shido tragedy. AMES ships at that time became overwhelmed by the number of those displaced from the planet.

And while Ryuji appreciates the updated technology, he also can't help noticing that-

“It all looks the goddamn same," He hisses, staring down at the map Takemi gave him. He finally finds the auditorium at the end of a small hallway. It's a nearly hidden offshoot from the main path. Ryuji passed by it several times before even noticing it was there.

The orientation is already well underway. He lets himself in and takes a seat close to the back, hoping not to draw too much attention to himself. They're giving a brief overview of the ship layout. Ryuji pays close attention. The last thing he wants to do is embarrass himself by getting lost again.

The top floor belongs to the bridge, where navigators and the elusive Captain work. Below it is the housing unit, mess hall, and recreation areas. The AMES ship has plenty of things to do during off-hours. There's a movie theater, gyms, even a banquet hall. Ryuji's impressed by the ship's offerings.

Below that is the full medical ward, the ship's main point of interest. It spans far beyond Takemi's office. There are endless hallways of medical labs, patient rooms, and a fully supplied pharmacy.

“It's like a city in space,” Ryuji comments to himself. It earns a soft snort of amusement from the man seated beside him.

“Pretty impressive, right?” The man whispers.

“It must be,” Ryuji replies dryly, flipping between floor maps on his ComTab. “Wonder how it would fare in combat. ...Not that it'll ever see combat. It's just a thought.”

“AMES ships can hold their own. At least long enough to get away.”

A woman in front of them turns around to glare, ending the conversation. Their current floor houses the auditorium, task group meeting rooms, and training areas. Engineering, extra housing, and storage sit at the bottom of the ship. They're about to go over the hangars when a voice from the crowd halts the presentation.

“What about the brig?” A man demands as he rises to his feet. “We've put in all these new security measures but there's been no mention of a place for prisoners.”

A soft murmur runs through the crowd. The woman on stage seems to be at a loss. She clears her throat and adjusts the mic clipped to her shirt collar.

“At this time, I don't have any information on that,” She presses, squaring her shoulders. “This is an orientation, not a floor for open discussion. I ask that you save your questions for your task commanders.”

“What about those attacks last month?” Another officer calls out. Before the presenter can even answer there's a swell of voices inside the room. Ryuji glances at his neighbor. The man stares back at him with an expression of open surprise.

“I need your attention," Commander Kurusu steps up on stage, quelling the audience's outrage. The noise in the room fades away as he addresses the group. "My name is Akira Kurusu, and I am the Division Commander for this ship."

“Many of you are new and may not know about last month's incident. It was a grave reminder of the danger we face out here in open space. Almost four weeks ago the _Phantom_ responded to a distress call coming from a small vessel. My team dispatched to the ship, and we were able to bring it and the crew in.”

“Later that evening, during a routine medical check, members of the ship attacked my team. I lost my head medical officer and one of my pilots,” He pauses briefly as a ripple of whispers makes its way through the crowd. “Safety of our crew is a top priority right now. However, that safety does not require that we imprison those we rescue. That goes against the very nature of what AMES is designed to be."  
  
“In addition to the new security system, we're putting a new screening process into place. All task teams will have a briefing to go over the changes in detail. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them after the orientation. I will be available in my office later this afternoon.”

“Now, please turn your attention back to Officer Amagi.” Commander Kurusu excuses himself from the stage and seats himself down in the front row. Somewhat awkwardly, the presentation continues. Ryuji tries to pay attention, but his eyes keep straying towards the Commander. He looks stoic and remains attentive, but there's tension in his shoulders.

“Sucks that he lost his teammates like that,” Ryuji comments to his neighbor.

“It's even harder when you're the one who has to take the fall for it,” The man's voice is low with sympathy. They don't get another chance to talk until everything wraps up. By that time Ryuji has spotted Ann and Shiho among the crowd. They're in a row close to the stage. 

“Wanna go down with me?” Ryuji asks the other man. “I see a couple of people I know.”

“Sure, let's go.”

Ryuji dips and ducks between follow crew members, swimming through a sea of people. Twice he checks over his shoulder to make sure his conversation buddy is still behind him. The man is so tall that it's easy for him to make his way through the crowd.

“Ann! Shiho!” Ryuji calls when he's nearly there. The two women spin around, breaking out in twin smiles when they spot him.

“You made it!” Ann cries, throwing her arms around his shoulders. He hisses and recoils from the pain it causes his neck. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, fine. Just sore. I'll explain later.”

“We thought they had changed your assignment,” Shiho moves forward to greet Ryuji next. She takes hold of his hands and squeezes them, her eyes misty with relief. “No one would tell us anything.”

“I had to have a medical exam. No big deal. I'm here now.” He hooks an arm around her shoulders and pulls her against his chest, resting his chin atop her head.

“Who's this?” Ann asks, referring to Ryuji's tall companion.

“Wes Dixon,” He introduces himself to the trio. “I'll be serving under Commander Kurusu.”

“Ryuji Sakamoto,” Ryuji extends a hand out to the man, who shakes it with an abundance of enthusiasm. "Looks like we're assigned to the same CO."

“Ann Takamaki,” Ann shakes his hand next. She pulls Shiho forward. "And this is Shiho."

"Suzui," Shiho offers. “C'mon. We should get going. I think we're supposed to meet up with the rest of our team.”

“I'll show you the way,” A new individual approaches, a Miter by the looks of them. “My name is Nycauri. I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I too am assigned to Mr. Commander Kurusu's team. They allowed me to board two days ago, so I know where to go for the meeting. I can show you how to get there."

“That would be great! Thank you!”

Ryuji is absolutely fascinated by the way Nycauri looks. He's seen photos of Miters before, but this is his first time meeting one. They're well known for the bright plumage that adorns their heads, feathers instead of hair. Nycauri's are deep blue, with flashes of jade that shine in the overhead lights.

“Ryuji, stop staring,” Ann hisses to him, catching the Miter's eyes. They're hawk-like, yellow.

“I do not mind it,” Nycauri assures her. “Many humans stare. I imagine they find we Miter to be beautiful.”

They head out of the auditorium and up a flight of stairs. Here there's a long hallway of small meeting rooms. Each one belongs to individual task teams. Theirs is the fourth room down. A metal plaque by the door reads 'Kurusu' in bold type font.

The interior of the room is spectacularly plain. The flooring is gray, the walls white. There's a stack of chairs in one corner, a long desk at the head of the room, and behind it a view-screen.

Their group is the first to arrive, sans a single woman sitting behind the desk. It's Makoto Nijima and when she sees Ryuji looking at her, she nods her head in greeting.

“We should disperse the chairs,” Nycauri suggests. Ryuji watches in amazement as the Miter lifts the top half of the stack off and sets it neatly down on the floor. Ann's a good three or four inches taller than Nycauri, but height seems to have no effect on their strength. It's amusing to see someone so short pick up that many chairs. Wes steps forward to collect the rest.

For Ryuji, lifting the chairs to move them is murder on his sore arm. There's a voice of disapproval at the back of his mind. Takemi would probably scold him for what he's doing, but he doesn't want to come across to the others as lazy. This is his one chance to make a good first impression on his teammates.

Nycauri seems to pick up on Ryuji's discomfort. They make no big show of pulling the chairs off the stack for him, placing them down on the floor. It gives him the option to drag them vs carry them. Ryuji thanks Nycauri in a soft voice, earning a shy smile of sharp white teeth.

Ann and Shiho are pulling chairs from Wes' stack, where he works alongside them to arrange the seats. He's the type of tall that's strong instead of lanky, built like a tank. He looks more suited to military work than medical. Definitely not someone that Ryuji would want to go up against in a fight. Despite this, his personality is warm and open. Ryuji's never met someone quite so companionable. Wes spends the entire time they're setting out chairs joking with everyone. He acts like they're all friends that he's known forever.

“I like him,” Ann comments offhand to Ryuji and he has to agree. It's a good start to their team dynamic.

“The Commander will be here shortly,” Makoto says as the group seats themselves. By this time others have also arrived. The Gol that Ryuji saw back on Kaneshiro is part of their group. Nycauri is familiar with him and calls him over. He takes the chance to go around and introduce himself to everyone.

“This one is called Ogimbo Cha'nkah,” He tells Ryuji, offering his sharply clawed hand out for a shake.

“Ryuji Sakamoto.”

“This one is pleased to know you.”

Behind him comes two humans, a woman with short curly hair and a tall skinny man. Both of them sit towards the back, making small bits of conversation. Two women in lab coats seat themselves next to Makoto at the desk.

One of them, a human with long blond hair, has colored her lab coat bright pink. It's patterned near the bottom with human tarot symbols. The other is a strange type of alien that Ryuji's never seen before. Her skin is a soft purple, reminiscent of Jewels, and long vines sprout from the top of her head like hair. Heart-shaped leaves grow along the vines, which she's pulled back in a human-style ponytail.

“Hey! You guys are here too?”

Ryuji turns to see Mishima approaching. Two more humans and another alien file in behind him. He sits on the other side of Ann and Shiho, looking at Ryuji with curious eyes. They don't have time to talk about it, the Commander has appeared in the doorway.

He makes his way up towards the desk, trailed by a creature that looks more like a plush toy than a living being. It's small and teddy-bear shaped, with a large head and cat ears. Instead of taking a seat behind the desk, it jumps up onto the surface to sit down.

“It looks like everyone is here,” The Commander says to the cat creature. It nods in agreement. “My name is Commander Akira Kurusu and I will be your task commander. Welcome to those of you who are new. Orientation day is a busy time, so I'm going to try to make this quick.”

“As I'm sure most of you are aware, there was a recent distress call sent out to AMES from the planet Murn 17-63. The _Phantom_ is the closest ship to that sector of space, so we mobilized immediately to answer the call. In two short days, we will arrive and begin assisting the Murn people.”

“Those of you who arrived today from Kaneshiro will need to complete your ground training assessment. This must be done before you will be allowed to start training and working with the group. A test has been arranged for later this evening and attendance is required. After passing, you'll start preliminary training. During this time you'll be assessed and sorted into either day shift or night shift."

“Any questions so far?” Commander Kurusu pauses briefly, opening the floor up. When no one raises their voice, he continues. “Emergencies cannot be planned around, they can happen any time, day or night. We have two shifts to maximize the amount of people available to assist."

“Commander Mona runs the Lunar shift while I run the Solar shift,” Kurusu pauses to gesture towards the cat. Ryuji can't stop his eyebrows from flying up. It's a gesture that doesn't go unnoticed. A pair of bright blue eyes lock onto his face, issuing a challenge. To avoid making a scene, Ryuji drops his gaze down to the floor, but he can still feel the cat glaring at him.

“Our team's task-name is 'Thieves'. We command two medivac shuttles as well as a few smaller vessels that are flown individually.”

At this Ryuji grins and exchanges an excited glance with Ann. This is what the two of them trained for, to pilot their own cruisers.

"I don't have a lot of strict rules. I expect everyone to work to the best of their ability and respect one another. If we can't operate efficiently as a team, we can't do our jobs as well. Personal drama goes on pause the moment you clock in for the day. If you have a problem you can't solve, you can talk to Mona or me."

“AMES is a living, breathing, creature. It's only as strong as the people who run it. I need you all to be willing to cross train or work jobs you might not be as familiar with. Everyone on this ship helps everyone else out. There are times when Task Teams have to work together. Try to get to know your peers."

"Questions?" Kurusu pauses, giving his words a moment to settle.

Ann raises her hand, "You mentioned updated security?"

"Yes. AMES is adopting a new screening process. Anyone brought onto this ship will need to go through the screening process. It's similar to a security check at a spaceport. We have to be sensitive to the needs and cultures of those we rescue. However, they can't present an open threat to the crew. It will be assessed on a case-by-case basis."

"What if they do turn out to be a danger?" A woman behind Ryuji asks. When he glances over his shoulder, he sees it's the one with the short curled hair.

"AMES does not have the ability to hold anyone hostage. Colony laws do not govern the entire galaxy and we can't impose those laws on other planets. The new security system will ensure that they don't have free run of the ship. We've also hired a number of new security officers."

"Anyone else?" The Commander prompts, shifting from one foot to the other. He seems to be getting antsy. No one asks anything else, so he continues on. "We will be sending a detailed explanation of the new security updates to your ComTabs. You can read more about it then and if you still have questions you can follow up with myself or Commander Mona."

"We'll now go through introductions. I'll start us off," He pauses, half leaning back against the edge of the desk. "I was born and raised on the planet of Shido. I'm twenty-six years old. Before coming to work for AMES I was part of the Shido military.”

"During my time as a civilian I worked at a coffee house, so I guess you could say brewing coffee is a hobby of mine. I also enjoy collecting Old-Earth style paper books," He pauses for a moment to clear his throat. With very little warning, he begins to pull his high collared shirt off over his head. Ryuji can feel his cheeks grow hot. He exchanges a glance with Ann, both of them utterly confused.

What the hell kind of briefing is the Commander conducting?!

Ryuji was right about his physical physique. The Commander is well muscled from the physical demands of his job. Dozens of scars mar his skin. Some surgical, while others are likely a side effect of his career choice. That's not what draws Ryuji's eyes the most, however. A large expanse of black skin runs the length of his body, starting at the middle of his throat. It covers the better part of his right arm and chest, down his stomach to curl around his left hip. A mark like that can only mean one thing-

He's Fade infected.

“Colony law requires that I inform you that I'm a Fade carrier,” The Commander speaks in a softer tone. “I've been infected for well over five years now. The virus is not contagious past the forty-eight hour incubation period. There's no risk of contracting the disease by working alongside me. However, it's understandable if you wish to seek reassignment. Either due to precautions or personal feelings on the matter.”

“Anyone who would like to put in for a transfer can file the paperwork with me,” The woman with the vines for hair stands. In her arms is a ComTab, which she sets out on the corner of the desk. “If you have any specific questions about Fade Disease, I can answer them. Transfer requests are due by the end of the day.”

Most of those in attendance, at the very least, look surprised. A few wear neutral expression, likely already aware of the situation. The room falls quiet as everyone watches everyone else to see what happens. To see if anyone leaves.

Ryuji remembers the hardships endured by those with the disease. Misinformation was rampant on Kamoshida following the destruction of Shido. Protests were held in an attempt to keep Fade infected people from being re-homed on the planet. If they did manage to make it to the surface, they were unlikely to find places to live or jobs to work. Even four years later it's the least hospitable planet in the colonies.

Without thinking, he says, “It's fine with me. We're a medical operation, so there's no damn reason to be bothered by it. I mean, why join AMES if you're gonna get all offended by somethin' like that? It ain't contagious, so it's fine.”

The Commander raises an eyebrow but doesn't make any move to scold Ryuji. His eyes are weary and his posture rigid. He twists the material of his shirt between his hands.

“I'm fine with it too,” Ann says, taking a cue from Ryuji. “This is a medical vessel. The disease is fairly widespread. I'm sure we'll run into cases of it.”

“This one does not mind it,” Ogimbo chimes in to murmurs of agreement from others. To say the Commander looks surprised would be an understatement. Ryuji wonders how many people from his previous teams walked out on him.

“Thank you,” The Commander says at last, when everyone in the room has firmly agreed to stay. He seems at a loss for words. While he slips his shirt back on, Commander Mona takes over.

“I'll go next for introductions,” He stands up to take center stage on top of the desk. “My name is Commander Mona, though my birth name is Morgana. My history is a little uncertain, I was found on an abandoned planet with few memories of my past life. I came to work for AMES three years ago along with Commander Kurusu. My favorite things are fish dishes and uh...”

His eyes flicker surreptitiously towards Ann in the front row.

“That's pretty much it. Makoto can go next.”

“Oh, uh,” Officer Nijima rises to her feet. Compared to how she was earlier in the day, she seems to be struggling to speak in front of the small group of people. “My name is Makoto Nijima, twenty-three years old. I was born on the planet Kaneshiro. I uh... I've got a sister who works as a public defender. No other siblings.”

“Interests?” Mona prompts her.

“Outside of work?”

“Yes.”

“I enjoy reading and cooking.”

“Good enough,” Mona says, taking pity on the flustered woman. She sits back down and when she does the doctor in the pink lab coat jumps up.

“My name is Chihaya Mifune,” She begins. “I work here on the _Phantom_ as the lead medical officer for Lunar shift. My specialty is in the studies of alternative medicines. I also have an interest in the occult, of both Earth and other planets. I suppose that's my hobby too. Come by my office if you'd ever like to participate in a tarot reading."

“Sounds like a fun person,” Ryuji whispers to Ann, who has to cover her mouth to hide her smile. The plant woman rises next.

“It's wonderful to meet you all. Everyone here calls me Lilac," She speaks in a sweet and dulcet tone. "It's my favorite of all the Earth flowers that I have encountered. My true name is quite hard for humans to parse. I too am a medical doctor here on the _Phantom_. I run lead for Solar shift. When I'm not working, I enjoy studying human behavior and culture.”

“Thank you,” Mona says to Lilac as he turns his attention to the group. “Your guy's turn, huh? Let's start with... You.”

He points a paw towards a dark-skinned man seated in the back. Everyone turns in their seats to look at him as he stands up.

“My name is Savaas,” His voice has an unusual accent and a deep musical cadence. He's attractive, Ryuji notes, at least by his own standards. “I come from the planet of Hyth, though it no longer exists. My people, Peryites, are not well known among the masses, as we are few in number now.”

A soft murmur of sympathy rumbles through the room. Ryuji's certainly never heard of them. Looking at the man, he can assume they were once a water race. Large gill slits run up the length of his throat and they open and close as he speaks.

“By human standards, I am twenty-seven. Hobbies include many things, but I enjoy collecting the most. I try to support local peoples by buying their wares when we go to new planets for the first time. I look forward to working with you all.”

“Thank you. Let's see... You next,” Mona points at Ryuji, a sly smile spreading its way over his face. "Stand up so everyone can see you."

"Right," Ryuji scowls as he rises to his feet. Of course, Commander Mona _would_ call on him next. He hates public speaking and has never been good at it. His words are already beginning to lodge inside his throat.

“Er, uh, I'm Ryuji. Ryuji Sakamoto,” He runs a hand back through his hair and scratches absently at the back of his head. His face feels hot from the flush spreading through his cheeks. “I uh... I'm twenty-two and from Kamoshida. My family grows beans, mainly. Though Ma's got a crop of tomatoes that's comin' up nicely. Er... I uh, I'm really more of a Defense Force guy. A pilot. I'm workin' here for now though. And uh...”

“Hobbies?” Commander Kurusu asks, causing the heat in Ryuji's face to spread back to his ears. He glances sidelong at the Commander. The man nods in encouragement and somehow that makes the situation worse.

“I like building things. I built a car when I was sixteen. Well, I had been working on it for a few years before that. And uh-” Ryuji reaches down to draw up the leg of his pants, revealing his false leg. “Me and-... Me and this guy I used to know built this together.”

The room is awkwardly quiet and he takes that as his cue to sit. Ann pats him sympathetically on the back.

"I will go next," The skinny guy near the back stands. "My name is Yusuke Kitagawa of Madarame. Age, twenty-two. I specialize in linguistics and alien culture, specifically their arts and religions. I am a secondary pilot for the Solar Team."

A pilot? That guy? Ryuji can't even imagine it. He doesn't look like someone who could fly a ship. Or even someone who'd want to try flying a ship.

"Foxy, let me go next," A woman seated behind Yusuke reaches out to tug at the edge of his uniform shirt. He gives her a withering look before sitting back down. She doesn't simply stand up like the others, instead opting to come up to the front of the room. "My name is Ichiko Ohya. I'm the head pilot for the Lunar Team. If there's something on this ship you need to know, I'm your go-to gal. I know everything about everything and everyone."

"So basically you're a gossip," Mona chastises her, earning a smug smile in reply. "Go sit down already."

"But I'm not finished."

"That was a command, y'know."

Looking disappointed, Ohya returns to her seat. Ryuji glances back at her and she catches his eye. She gives him a sharp smile and a thumbs up. He grins back at her before turning his attention to the next speaker. It's the girl who came in with Yusuke, with the short curled hair.

"My name is Haru Okumura. From my name, you can probably tell I'm also from the planet of Okumura," She speaks warmly and wears a bright smile. "I joined AMES as a nurse to expand my medical education. My father is head of Okumura Pharmaceuticals, so you could say medicine runs in my blood. Oh! But not literally. At least not right this moment?"

"My real passion though, lies with horticulture. I suppose that's also my hobby too. Dr. Lilac and I have been working on new medications. They're developed from plants we've found during our travels. I work during Lunar Shift. It's a pleasure to be working with you all."

“I guess I'll go next,” Wes offers, greeting the group with a grin. “My name is Wes Dixon, from Old-Earth. I've come a long way to be here. I'm ex-Defense Force. I'll need you guys to show me how things run on this side of the fence. Thirty-two years old, work is sort of my hobby. I'm sending money back to my wife and daughter so that they can join me in the colonies.”

“What are their names?” Commander Kurusu asks.

“My wife is Sasha and our little girl is Rosa.”

“I'm sure they're proud of you.”

“Like you wouldn't believe, sir.”

He takes a seat and opens the floor to Nycauri.

“My name is Nycauri. In six months I will be twenty-one in human years. I come from the planet of Madarame where I once worked as a gemstone miner. Five years ago, my mother became trapped when her mining tunnel collapsed. AMES saved her life and that inspired me to join. It's not a common profession for my kind, but I am grateful to be here.”

“Like many Miter, we enjoy the collection of shiny rocks. I imagine that I'll be able to find a great many of them during my travels. I also enjoy the consumption of fish. Thank you for your time. I eagerly await the friendships we will form.”

Nycauri returns to their seat on the other side of Ryuji. Ogimbo, the Gol, stands up. When he's standing at his full height, his head almost brushes the ceiling, so he slouches forward.  
  
“This one is much too tall for this room,” He comments in an amused tone, tapping a clawed finger against the ceiling. A soft murmur of laughter moves through the group, and he attempts a smile. It looks more like a snarl.

“We'll see what we can do about it,” Commander Kurusu offers, but the Gol simply shrugs his massive shoulders.

“This one is called Ogimbo. Ogimbo Cha'nkah. Many Gol choose to fight in the Defense Force, but this one chooses to heal,” Ogimbo's voice is hoarse in tone. From what Ryuji knows of them, it's difficult for Gol to learn how to speak, their bodies aren't well developed for speech. “This one enjoys eating meaty snacks. No worry, not human meaty snacks. Chicken meaty snacks only.”

“This one is kin with Nycauri. Mother took this one in when this one was very small hatchling. Where Nycauri goes, this one goes. Yes, thank you.” With that, the lizard returns to his seat. Nycauri reaches over to touch one of his clawed hands.

The only one left is a woman sitting in the far back corner. She's got her feet balanced at the edge of her chair, knees drawn up to her chest. With her short stature and over-sized glasses, she looks like a child.

“Futaba?” Commander Kurusu prompts, earning a roll of her eyes in reply. She unfolds herself from her chair and stands up, hiding her face behind her long red hair.

“M'names Futaba,” She's nearly whispering. The Commander clears his throat and she raises her volume. “My name is Futaba Sakura. I'm twenty years old and the head tech analyst for the _Phantom_. I work on the Solar Team. I like coffee, curry, and video games. Akira, can I stop now?”

“That's good,” He says. She plops herself back down into her chair and folds her legs back up.

As an afterthought, she corrects herself, “Commander. I meant Commander.”

Ann, Shiho, and Mishima finish the introductions. Ryuji zones out during them. He probably knows more about the three of them than he cares to. Perk of growing up together in the same small town.

“Moving on,” Mona says, pulling everyone's attention back to the front. He's holding a small box of plastic cards. “We recently installed a security system on the ship. For you newbies, these are your temporary access cards. They'll get you into your room, into training areas, the mess hall. Do not lose them. Individual ID number cards will replace them at the end of the week. They're still being programmed into the system.”

“When you are working, you will be required to wear an earpiece,” Commander Kurusu moves around the room, handing one out to each new person. “There are two main radio channels that we use. One is ship-wide and the other is private for our team. I trust that everyone will use these for appropriate conversations. Anything confidential should not be spoken over the radio. Even if it's on the team-only channel.”

“Finally we have these,” Mona gestures towards the woman named Futaba. She comes to stand at the head of the room next to the Commanders, though she doesn't look happy about it. In her hands are what look to be basic ballpoint pens with the AMES logo on the side. “These are your work ComTabs.”

“Whoa, what?” Ryuji points towards the pens. “Those are ComTabs?!”

“Futaba, will you demonstrate?” Commander Kurusu asks the woman in a soft tone. She nods and holds one up for everyone to see. When she clicks the top of the pen, a small piece unlocks from the side of it. She grabs hold of it and when she does, a small holographic display appears. It looks like a floating screen, a projection from the main part of the pen. The backside has the AMES logo while the front is a standard ComTab display. She holds it up so the group can get a good look, using the smaller half like a stylus.

“That's effin' amazing,” Ryuji breathes. He can't wait to get his hands on his so that he can examine it in detail. Futaba moves around the room to hand them out.

“These are a prototype that our group is being allowed to test out. They were designed by Futaba. Please treat them with care,” The Commander gestures towards the doorway. “That's it for today. Those of you taking your Ground Training test can meet back here after dinner. Solar shift can return to regular duties.”

“See you guys for the test?” Wes asks them, coming to stand by Ryuji, Ann, and Shiho. “I'll probably skip out on dinner to study.”

“See you then,” Ann promises him and the two bump fists. An action the mystifies Ryuji. The others are shuffling out of the room already. Nycauri promises to sit with them at dinner and trails after Ogimbo.

“I gotta get my stuff from the Commander,” Ryuji explains, when Ann and Shiho look at him expectantly. “I'll catch up with you guys.”

“From the Commander?” Ann asks, looking both skeptical and amused.

“I'll explain at dinner. It's a long story.”

“Yeah, you better.”

The two women leave, followed by the two doctors and the small cat, Mona. He seems to be in some sort of hurry, rushing to catch up with someone. The Commander is busy talking to Futaba. To pass time, Ryuji begins stacking the chairs. He's almost got the last one put back when the Commander approaches him from behind.

“You should rest your arm,” He warns, taking the chair from Ryuji's hands to place it at the top. “You and I both know Takemi hasn't cleared you for work yet.”

“Stackin' chairs isn't exactly what I'd call work, Sir.” Ryuji says levelly. He turns to face the Commander, realizing for the first time that they're about the same height. Bright silver eyes stare at him from under a swath of long eyelashes. They're almost girly.

“Thank you, for what you said before.”

“You mean about the Fade thing?”

“Yes, that.”

“I honestly don't care,” Ryuji explains, shrugging his shoulders. “I mean, I don't care about working for someone who has Fade. I do feel bad about it though. Must be hard.”

“I have my days,” The Commander nods down towards Ryuji's leg. “Same as you, I'm sure.”

“Heh, yeah. Same thing I guess.”

“I knew him. Captain Kidd, I mean.” The Commander says, leaning sideways against the stack of chairs. He shifts the balance of them and the entire stack almost topples over, taking him with it. It's such an unexpected thing that Ryuji can't help laughing.

“The hell was that?” He demands playfully, reaching out to steady the chairs. The Commander runs a hand back through his hair and then smoothes the front of his shirt. It's very slight, but Ryuji thinks he might see him blushing. “Sorry, sorry. I shouldn't laugh.”

“As I was saying,” Kurusu clears his throat, trying to brush past his blunder. “I knew Kidd.”

“Yeah, what about him?” Ryuji crosses his arms over his chest. The Captain isn't someone he likes talking about very often. It brings up memories that he'd rather not think about.

“He's the reason I took you on.”

“Excuse me?”

“It's a long story. One we don't have time for today. Ask me to tell you about it sometime.” The Commander moves towards the door, glancing back to make sure that Ryuji knows to follow him.

“Why bring it up if you aren't gonna tell me?” Ryuji asks as they go down the stairs and back towards the elevator.

“I wanted to ask you if he's the one who helped you build your leg.”

“Yeah. He was.”

“I thought so.” The Commander says as they step into the transporter. “Crew Quarters.”

 _> > Crew Quarters. <<_ The transporter confirms.

“Sorry, I had your bag sent to my room. I was in a hurry because of the orientation.”

“Nah man, sir, it's okay.” Ryuji shrugs his shoulders, wincing from the pull against his sore muscles.

When the doors open again, they step out onto the housing floor. It's an endless sea of hallways, similar to the dorm that Ryuji used to stay in at the academy but much larger. Among bedrooms, there are also recreational areas. Ryuji spots a few gym rooms and what looks like a little cafe area. On the way to the Commander's room, he also spots a few snack and drink machines. They're filled with all kinds of different foods. He makes a reminder to stop by later and check them out.

“It's sorta like, one-fourth mall, three-fourths apartments,” Ryuji comments, earning a snort of amusement from Kurusu.

“That's actually a good way to put it,” The Commander says, leading the way through the maze of hallways. “We're always trying to add things to the ship for the crew to do during off hours. If not, everyone gets pretty stir crazy.”

“I can imagine. Ain't a lot to do when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere.”

They've almost made it to the high-rank quarters when a woman and a man come tumbling out of one of the rooms. They're in the middle of a heated argument and their voices carry all the way down the hall. Commander Kurusu picks up his pace, hurrying towards them, but he pulls up short.

“Commander Kurusu!” The woman greets around the insults she's slinging at the man. She's got him up under one of her arms, holding him tightly around the neck. He struggles to free himself, to no avail.

“Miss Chie,” The Commander replies calmly. He no longer looks surprised by what's going on, as if he's seen it before. Ryuji, on the other hand, can't help rubbernecking. He peers around the Commander at the two. “Something wrong?”

“Oh no, Sir. Yosuke was peeping at me in my room again.”

“If you've got a sexual harassment complaint, you should inform your commander.”

“Whaaaaaat?” Chie drags the word out, tilting her head to the side as if the thought never occurred to her.

“I wasn't peeping!” The man, Yosuke, argues. He finally slips free of her hold and straightens himself up. “I knocked and when she didn't answer I went in! I didn't know she was gonna be...”

“I think I've got this handled,” Chie informs them, turning on Yosuke again. “There won't be any _need_ to inform Commander Narukami. _Right_ , Yosuke?”

“Whoa,” Ryuji interrupts, stepping in front of Kurusu. “You said _Commander_ Narukami, right?”

“Yeah. He's our Team Commander. Task Team: Detectives.”

“Holy shit. I didn't realize he was a Commander.”

“We should be going,” Kurusu insists, gesturing for Ryuji to keep walking. The two of them snake around the side, leaving Yosuke and Chie to work out... Whatever it is they're working out. Ryuji is still reeling. He didn't know Narukami held such a high rank.

“When did Narukami become a commander?” Ryuji asks once they've moved on down the hallway.

“Two years ago. Around the same time I did. We were once on a task team together.”

“Damn.”

“Someone's got a mouth.”

“Sorry,” Ryuji quickly apologizes. He had completely forgotten who he was with and their obvious rank difference.

“I don't actually care. Just be mindful,” Kurusu advises.

“Are they like, datin' or somethin'?” Ryuji wonders, glancing over his shoulder. Chie and Yosuke are still battling it out in the hallway.

“It's possible. Dating isn't strictly prohibited in AMES. As long as you inform your commander and you aren't working shifts together, it's usually fine.”

“Good to know.” Ryuji files that away for later, in case Ann and Shiho finally get together.

Down the hallway, the doors begin to have more space between them. The rooms in this section are much larger. Commander Kurusu's is at the end of one section, his own private little corner space. As he approaches, the door opens automatically. It's somehow sensed its occupant's return.

“How'd it know it was you?”

“The new security system,” The Commander explains, pulling his key-card from his pocket. “Mine senses the card and opens when I'm within a few feet of it. You can set yours up the same way. There are lots of different privacy features. Miss Chie probably hasn't figured them out yet.”

“What happens if someone steals your card?” Ryuji asks. To him, it doesn't seem like a very efficient system.

“Each card will only work with one person. Takemi and the security team program them using DNA.”

“That's... Amazin' actually. Is it all because of what happened last month?”

“Yes. We picked up a stranded ship. Small crew, a few small injuries. We were transporting them to a nearby spaceport when they attacked my team.”

“Holy sh-... Does that happen a lot?” Ryuji asks. The hair on the back of his neck begins standing on end.

“It's rare but yes. We've picked up pirates before.”

“Pirates?! The guys who attacked, were they pirates?”

“Yes, part of an underground society called Shadows. They're normally not a big enough threat to take down a large ship, but they attack small vessels all the time. AMES does a lot of rescues to deal with the aftermath of their attacks. Last month was the first time they acted so boldly.”

The Commander steps into his room and Ryuji goes in behind him. It's a lot like the room they had their meeting in. The floors are gray and the walls white, it's void of any real personal effects. The main half contains a small sitting area, two plush looking chairs on either side of a coffee table. There's a desk in the far left corner, L shaped like Takemi's with a computer on one end. The door to the bathroom is behind the sitting area.

The rest of the room is partitioned off by a large frosted glass wall with a sliding door. AMES likes their frosted glass, Ryuji thinks in amusement. The door has been left open and Ryuji can see the bedroom area inside. There's a small love-seat against the partition wall and a double bed taking up most of the space.

The sheets on the bed are made up, with all the corners tucked neatly and not a single wrinkle in the duvet. Either the Commander doesn't sleep very often or he's a madman about making his bed every morning. Both seem likely.

Commander Kurusu dips into the bedroom and retrieves Ryuji's duffel from his closet. His AMES uniforms are hung inside, a closet full of black clothing. They're all alike to the one he's wearing, long sleeved with a high collar. Ryuji wonders if it's because his Fade marks bother him, but he doesn't have the courage to ask. Prying into his commanding officer's personal life doesn't seem like a good way to start things off.

“Do you know how to get to your room?” Kurusu asks, handing Ryuji's bag over.

“I'm sure I'll figure it out,” Ryuji assures him, swinging the bag up over his left shoulder. It feels like it doesn't belong on that side, but it's better than straining his sore one. “So uh... I'll see you around? Sir.”

“Yes. Enjoy the rest of your first day.”

Ryuji sees himself out. He uses his new holographic ComTab to find his way. The map on the work ComTab is far more accurate than the one Takemi sent him. He appears as a tiny flashing dot, moving in real time across the display. His room is a few hallways down from the Commander's, located near two of the snack machines he saw earlier. He uses his temporary key-card to let himself in.

The room is unsurprisingly less grand than the Commander's. His sitting area is a rug and a love-seat that's halfway built into the wall. His desk is beyond that, though to call it a desk isn't really accurate. It's more like a small square table bolted to the floor. Beside it is a very tall thin door that opens up to reveal his 'closet'. He supposes there's not a need for much closet space when you wear the same outfit all the time.

His bed is the only good thing about the room. It's a large mattress built into a nook in the wall. Two small bookshelves and a reading lamp are at the head of the bed. At the foot is small cubby for additional storage. AMES knows how to maximize space.

He dumps his bag on the floor and makes his way across the room to try the bed out. It has adjustable options that can be controlled using a panel on the wall. He plays around with the firmness and temperature settings until he finds a balance that he likes.

Ryuji checks out the bathroom next, disappointed to see that it's shared between him and the next room over. Standard bathroom otherwise, toilet and double sink on one side. There are drawers under each sink for storing personal toiletries.

The shower is on the other half of the bathroom. There's no tub, simply a short basin to stand in and a curtain to contain the water. The shower head looks to have a few different settings, controlled by a panel inside the unit.

There's a gentle knock against the door leading to the opposite room. It opens and Ryuji is surprised to see Mishima standing on the other side.

“Oh! Sakamoto. Are you in the next room?” Mishima asks coming to stand at the sink. He starts unpacking some of his things into the drawers. Ryuji wants to laugh when he sees the other man storing away a razor and shaving cream. He's still so baby-faced that it's hard to imagine him needing to shave. Out of courtesy, he resists.

“Yeah, that's mine,” Ryuji says, tossing a thumb over his shoulder.

“I'm glad it's you and not someone weird. Sharin' a bathroom is bad enough without having to share it with a stranger.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. So, the Commander, that was kind of shocking.”

“Huh? Oh, you mean the Fade thing?”

“It doesn't bother me, but I wasn't expecting it either,” Mishima goes on to say. “Fade is so rare now that I don't think about it very often.”

“Me either.”

“The Commander's case doesn't look too severe. It hasn't even covered half of his body yet. They're making new drugs all the time.”

“Yeah, maybe they'll find a cure.”

“So how did you end up in AMES?” Mishima puts away the last of his things and turns to face Ryuji. His eyes are bright with interest.

“This is like, my only shot. I've got a disciplinary mark on my file. Issues with authority and all that. So I kept getting passed over for assignment,” Ryuji leans with his back against the counter. “If I do good here in AMES, they'll let me transfer to Defense Force.”

“Either way, I'm glad you're here. Ann and Shiho too. It's good to work with people I know already.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“I'll see you later Sakamoto.”

Ryuji returns to his room and begins the process of unpacking. 

\---

Ryuji tries, really really tries, to not be disappointed by dinner. He's never been a fan of synthesized food but if he's gonna run with the AMES crew, he needs to get used to it.

“Aren't you hungry?” Shiho asks him, as he mindlessly twirls his fork down through his bowl of pasta.

“Kinda?” He hedges, taking a sip of his water. “All the vaccines that crazy doctor gave me are kind of killing my appetite.”

“Do you still feel sick?” Ann reaches across the table to feel his forehead, frowning. “You do feel a bit warm.”

“I'm okay. Just not in the mood for... What was this again?”

“I think it's spaghetti?”

“You think?”

“Well, its kind of got a rubbery taste.”

Ryuji shoves his tray away. If Ann isn't able to eat it, there's no way he'll be able to.

“Are you ready for the test?” Nycauri asks them, picking apart their own bowl of rubber-noodles. “It's not a hard one. You fill the circles in.”

“Multiple choice?” Ryuji asks.

“Yes, that's the kind.”

“Hell yeah! I'm gonna ace it then. Readin' all the answers usually jogs my memory.”

“If all else fails, you have a twenty-five percent chance at each question.”

“See? I'm bound to pass with those kind of odds.”

“That's a wonderful attitude to adopt,” A new voice joins their conversation. When Ryuji looks up, he realizes it's Lilac. She slides her tray down next to his, though the only thing on it is a large bowl of water. Stranger still, she places her fingertips down into the water. When she sees him staring at her, she turns away slightly. “I don't actually need to eat like everyone else. My biology is more like that of a flower. So it's water and uv for me.”

“It's actually pretty cool,” Ryuji enthuses, offering the flustered woman a smile. She smiles back at him and her shoulders visibly relax. “How long have you been workin' for AMES?”

“A little over a year. I trained under Takemi for a while until I joined Commander Kurusu's team.”

“Any advice for us newbies?”

“Advice for the job? Or advice for the Commander?”

“Both.” Ann says.

“The Commander is a very kind person. A natural leader. As long as you listen to what he says and take criticism constructively, you'll do well. As for the job...” Lilac trails off, her expression dimming slightly. “AMES is not what it used to be. It's a much more dangerous job these days. There are all kinds of things out there that can get you hurt or killed. The only reason I got reassigned to Commander Kurusus' team is because there was a sudden opening...”

“You mean, because someone died?” Shiho asks in a soft voice, her eyes downcast. Lilac nods.

“Yes. It's rare to get a promotion that isn't preceded by the loss of a crew member. The best thing you can do is take care of one another. There's no room for pride or for showing off.”

“I never knew AMES was like that,” Ann whispers, staring at the doctor with wide eyes. Seeing the distress she's brought to the table, Lilac quickly begins to backpedal.

“Oh no, it's not like that all the time! I didn't mean to scare everyone!”

“Don't worry about it,” Ryuji says, moving to change the topic to spare the woman's feelings. “Are you Solar shift or Lunar?”

“Solar shift. I'm the lead medical officer for the day team.”

“Oh yeah, you did say that at the meeting, huh. What's the real difference between the day team and the night team?”

“Nothing too drastic. Lunar shift has fewer responsibilities. They don't see a lot of action at night unless an emergency comes up unexpectedly.”

“So basically it's the b-squad.”

“Ryuji! Don't call it that!” Ann scolds, reaching across the table to flick him in the forehead. He ducks away from her assault.

“We better get going if we're going to make it in time to take our tests,” Shiho says, standing up to gather her tray. Ann and Ryuji follow suit.

“We'll see you later, Doc, Nycauri,” Ryuji says as they all leave the table. Lilac smiles at him, so sincere that he can't help smiling back.

“You were pretty flirty with her,” Ann whispers to him, bumping her elbow against his sore shoulder. He winces and throws a dirty look in her direction.

“I wasn't flirtin'. I was being nice.”

“Uh huh. Okay. Whatever you say.”

“Ann! I mean it!”

He has no time to plead his case any further. Shiho has swooped in to steal Ann away. The two of them walk arm in arm to the testing room. He wants to knock their heads together. Maybe that will start them dating.

\---

“Woo! I didn't think we were gonna make it,” Wes leads the way out of the testing room, Ryuji close behind him. Ann, Shiho, and Mishima are waiting for them at the end of the hallway with the large reptile man, Ogimbo. He's crouched down in front of them to put himself at a better height for conversation. “So what's with you and those two? Ann and Shiho.”

“Huh? Ann 'n Shiho? We grew up together, though we weren't good friends till high school.” Ryuji says. “Ann was like this, enigma in school. The richest girl in town and all that. I thought she was stuck up or somethin'. Shiho? Volleyball captain and the nicest girl in school. Everyone seemed to admire her. I thought it was weird that they were friends.”

“Just friends?”

“Ugh, man, yes. Even to this day. Shiho's kinda dense sometimes. Or maybe Ann's too scared to ask her out.”

“So how did the Dynamic Duo, become a trio?” Wes stops to lean against a nearby wall. Giving them a few extra minutes to talk before they reach the others.

“There was all this bullshit with my dad. He used to knock me and my mom around, landed me in the hospital one time,” Ryuji indicates towards his leg. Wes' eyes widen, but he doesn't say anything. “He disappeared after that. 'N I mean, he really disappeared. Wasn't showing up for work, didn't come home to the house, no record of him traveling or spendin' his money. He was just... Gone.”

“You're from Kamoshida, right? Must have been one of those small towns that they've got there.”

“Exactly. Somethin' happens and suddenly the whole damn town knows your business. They all got it in their heads that I had done him in. He disappeared the night I ended up in the hospital. It got so bad that the police chief had to look into things. Did a number on my mom's reputation too.”

“M'friends didn't want to hang out with a 'murderer'. Gave me some bullshit excuse about their parents having a problem with it. 'Cept it was more like the whole damn town had a problem with it. Even my teachers at school didn't really want to deal with me. So I kept my head down and worked on my scholarship.”

“That's when Ann and Shiho showed up. They just started hanging out with me for no damn reason. The rest is kinda predictable. We became friends. It's a pretty cheesy story when I lay it out like that.”

“Not at all. They became your pillars.” Wes says in a voice full of understanding. “It's a great story actually.”

“Yeah,” Ryuji rolls his head to the side, staring down at the two women. “Even if it's just for a while, I'm glad I'm here in AMES with them.”

“Who knows? You might end up staying for the long haul.”

“Doubtful.”

“So I gotta ask,” Wes says, lowering his voice some. His tone catches Ryuji's attention. He turns his head back around to stare. “Did they ever find him? Your old man?”

“Yeah, they found him,” Ryuji pushes off the wall and starts walking again, Wes following behind him. “The bastard got drunk and fell down a ravine. Hit his head on some rocks or somethin' like that. What a stupid way to die.”

\---

 **Name – Akira Kurusu**  
**  
Location – **The _Phantom_  - AMES Flagship, Observation Deck****

 

* * *

  
“I thought I'd find you here,” Morgana's feet are nearly silent as he approaches. Akira glances over his shoulder, greeting his friend with a nod of his head.

“I'm here a lot these days,” He confesses, staring out the observation window. The sky outside whizzes past, a blur of stars. “How's Lunar shift? Anything to report?”

“Nothing. It's quiet.”

“That's good.”

“Akira,” Morgana steps up beside the man, prompting Akira to kneel down so that they can speak face to face. “You should get some sleep.”

“I know,” Akira amends, shrugging his shoulders. “I got used to pulling double shifts. Now that we've got a full crew, I'll have to adjust again.”

“I was surprised when that guy spoke up for you. No one's ever done that before. He's either brave or stupid or both.”

“Probably both.”

“Speaking of your Fade status. How have you been feeling?” Morgana steps away to look out the windows, prompting Akira to stand and do the same. It's an awkward topic and neither of them like discussing it. It's easier without eye contact.

“The same as always, I guess,” Akira says, flexing his right hand. “I've got movement back in this arm. Takemi says that the disease hasn't spread to my muscles yet. So I should be okay to continue working.”

“How much time do you have before that happens?”

“Three or four months.”

“Three or four months?! That's not enough time!”

“It's going to have to be.” Akira drops his arm down to his side. “My vision is getting worse. Laser treatments aren't working anymore. I might switch to contacts instead of frames.”

“Sick of rocking the glasses look?” Morgana goads, earning smirk in reply.

“They do make me look unassuming.”

“Have you heard anything from Akechi?”

“He's waiting for us at the Sakura Spaceport. Like he said he would,” Akira sighs and turns his attention back towards the windows. “It's beautiful out there.”

“It all looks the same to me.” Morgana scoffs, moving on to finish his evening patrol. He hesitates in the doorway. “Go back to your room. Get some sleep.”

“Goodnight Morgana.”

\---

 **Name – Ryuji Sakamoto**  
  
**Location – **The _Phantom_  - AMES Flagship, Medical Bay****

* * *

  
Ryuji's laid out on the examination table in Takemi's office. He didn't get a lot of sleep the night before, so he's having a hard time staying awake. It doesn't seem to bother the doctor. She moves around the table, checking his vitals and making notes on her ComTab.

“How many hours of sleep did you get last night?” Takemi asks him, rousing him from his drifting thoughts.

“Two or three? It was about average for me. I never get a full night,” He tells her, sitting up so that he can slip his shirt back on. He's wearing his AMES uniform for the first time. It fits him better than he expected, though the fabric will need some work. There's a lot of starch left in the fibers.

“I'll reissue your prescription for Cypronex. You can pick it up on your way out. The pharmacy is on the other side of the waiting room.”

“Copy that.”

“You should get going if you want to make it in time for breakfast. I highly suggest eating something before training. Your blood sugar readings are lower than I'd like them to be,” Takemi levels her eyes at him, arms crossed over her chest. “I'm clearing you for active duty and training. Don't do anything stupid.”

“Me? Do somethin' stupid? Never,” Ryuji slides down off of the examination table. He practically skips out of her office and down to the pharmacy. It turns out to be an actual storefront pharmacy, with aisles of things to buy. He peruses them while they fill his prescription. It doesn't take long, and he makes it to the mess hall in time to eat.

“You're full of energy today,” Saavas comments to Ryuji. The two of them arrived first to the team meeting room, so they started down-stacking chairs.

“Y'think so?” Ryuji asks, glancing back at the other man. Savaas nods, displacing a few stray white hairs from his intricate braid. He pushes them back behind his ears and reaches for another chair.

“You looked a bit unwell yesterday. Much better today.”

“Thanks for the concern.”

“Good health will bring a strong team.” Savaas explains, lips curving back from a set of sharply pointed teeth. Like Nycauri, his smiles are a reminder that he's anything but human.

As they're aligning the last of the chairs, Ohya comes staggering into the room. She's got a pair of sunglasses down over her eyes, as if the ship's lighting is too strong.

“Lunar shift,” She explains, covering a yawn with her hand. “Commander MonaMona's got us pulling doubles while you newbies get trained. I'm soooo tired, I feel like I could collapse.”

“Well if you're going to pass out, do it somewhere else, will ya?” Commander Mona enters behind her, full of sass first thing in the morning. He takes his place at the front of the room, seated up on the desk. Kurusu enters behind him, looking as if he got no more sleep than Ohya, though he holds his head high. He glances at Ryuji on his way to the front of the room, flashing a small smile. It embarrasses Ryuji so bad that he has to look away.

“You look feverish,” Lilac approaches Ryuji, reaching a hand out to touch the side of his face. Her hands are ice-cold. “No. Optimal temperature. My mistake.”

“You can sense temperature through your hands?” Ryuji takes hold of them, examining her palms.

“It's useful in the medical field.”

“Hell yeah, it is.”

“You use such colorful language,” Lilac admires. “Humans are amazing. No two are exactly alike. Even twins have their own personalities and preferences. I find it absolutely fascinating.”

“You make us sound cooler than we really are.”

“Miss Lilac merely sees the rare flashes of beauty that humans exhibit.” The two of them are approached by the skinny man from the day before. Ryuji thinks his name is Yusuke. “We didn't have a chance to properly introduce ourselves. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I work for the Solar Team.”

"Oh yeah, the backup pilot,” Ryuji recalls, though he still can't see it. Language and art geek? Totally. Pilot? Not a chance.

“In the barest sense of the word. It's not a great passion of mine. The study of flight was an extra academic endeavor.”

“You learned to fly for fun?”

“To broaden my knowledge.”

“Huh.” Ryuji's not sure what to make of that, so he doesn't bother commenting further. The rest of the Thieves team is filing in through the door. He excuses himself to go sit up with Ann, Wes, and Shiho.

“Thank you all for arriving on time,” Commander Kurusu says, beginning their morning briefing. “I'm going to quickly go over today's schedule. Senior officers working Solar shift will proceed with their normal schedules. Those of you who are new will go down to be fitted for your EVA suits and helmets. These suits are worn during operations that take place outside the ship in open space.”

“Every single member of AMES is trained for EVA work. From techs, to medical, on down the line, in case of large scale emergencies. EVA is some of the most dangerous work we do. The first four weeks of training will be aimed towards helping you pass your EVA certification. To do that we'll be using on-board anti-gravity chambers. They can be programmed to mimic the conditions of space, and we spend a lot of time training inside them. Even after certification, you'll be required to join in on weekly sessions.”

“Your first lesson in EVA will begin directly following the fitting. After lunch, you'll train within your respective branches. Pilots will go down to the hangars and begin learning Medivac operations. Medicals will go to Med Bay. Techs down to the lab. Etcetera. Shortly after dinner we'll meet back up and go over some basic first aid. Senior officers are excluded from the first aid training.”

“Thank you god,” Ryuji hears Ohya whisper from her seat behind him.

“Any questions?” The Commander opens the floor and waits patiently for a few minutes.

Shiho tentatively raises her hand, “I have a question, sir. How long will the training last?”

“Beginning AMES training lasts for four weeks. After that, you'll be sorted into either Solar or Lunar shift. We continue to do routine training weekly from there onward.”

“What can we expect once we're assigned to a shift?” Wes asks, then adds, “Defense Force operates differently, so I'm not sure what to expect day to day and week to week in AMES.”

“Solar and Lunar shift operate basically the same way. Five days of the week are 'on call' days. On those days you'll follow a daily schedule and you'll be on call for emergencies. If we're going down to a planet, then you'll be part of the away team. We usually have three to four task teams working on call at one time. This leaves one day for skills training and one day 'off'. On skills training day we overlap shifts to train both Solar shift and Lunar shift together.”

“On off days you'll obviously be able to do what you want. Training facilities, gyms, recreation areas, all of them will be available for use. At the end of each month, we do assessments. It's rare, but you can lose your certifications if you underperform. If this happens you'll be assigned to desk work until you re-certify.”

“What happens if you're just repeatedly horrible at something?” Mishima asks next and Ryuji suspects the question is of a personal nature.

“Your skills, good or bad, will be addressed on a person by person basis. Being less skilled at one task doesn't mean you won't do well on another. AMES, of course, takes these things into consideration. As we get to know you better, you'll be given assignments that reflect your personal talents. We merely ask that everyone have a basic knowledge of emergency medical procedures. We can never fully predict the kinds of things we will face. It's important for everyone to be prepared.”

When the Q and A finishes, Commander Kurusu dismisses the Senior Officers. He takes the rest of the group down a floor through engineering. They arrive in a large supply room, where a gruff looking man is seated behind a cluttered counter.

“Commander,” He greets in a guttural voice, lifting his head from his work. When he sees Ryuji and the others his expression dims. “I forgot. Today's fittin' day, right?”

“It is,” The Commander says, his lips quirking upwards. “I'll leave them to you.”

“Oh thank you. Just what I wanted.”

Once Commanders Kurusu has left the room, the man comes out from behind the counter. He's wearing a billed cap on his head and lightly grayed hairs stick out from around the base of it. Stubble lines the edges of his jaw, and he rubs at it as he walks around the group, inspecting everyone. There's something oddly familiar about him. Ryuji doesn't pick up on it until the man introduces himself.

“I'm Munehisa Iwai, I'm sorta like the ship's handyman-” Before he can finish, Ryuji interrupts.

“Oh! You're Old Man Iwai's son!” He exclaims, stepping to the front of the group. “'Member me? Sakamoto?”

“Can't say I do.”

“What?! C'mon, of course you do. Ryuji Sakamoto.”

“Nope, doesn't ring a bell.” Iwai's face remains blank, but there's clear recognition in his eyes. He narrows them at Ryuji, likely asking for the subject to be dropped. “You done?”

“C'mon, Munehisa. You remember me,” Ryuji insists, reaching back to pull Ann up beside him.

“Ryuji! Stop that!” She fusses, pulling her arm free of his grasp.

“You gotta remember Ann. Used to rock a pair of little pigtails.”

“Nope,” Iwai turns his back on them both and moves so that he can address the rest of the group. “As I was sayin', my name is Munehisa Iwai and I'm the ship's handyman. I build things. I fix things. My job description is actually head engineer, but I don't like to brag about it. Now, let's get started on the fitting. We only got an hour to do this.”

“This is where we keep the EVA suits,” Iwai says, as he guides them through a doorway at the back of his repair room. It looks like a large closet. Racks and racks of spacesuits are hung up all over the room. Their sizes and shapes vary and there are even some custom designs with things like extra arms or legs. “I'm going to measure you and direct you to a rack. All the suits are organized by rack number and size. Go get the suit and then pop into the dressing room to try it on.”

“Please move quickly. I don't got all damn day to play wedding dress consultant.”

“This man seems very angry,” Nycauri comments to Ryuji, who can only smile wryly in reply. Even when they were younger, Iwai had an attitude. Somehow Ryuji's glad to see that that hasn't changed about him.

The older man moves down the line of officers, measuring them and then directing them on sizing. He doesn't even bat an eye when he gets to Ogimbo. He directs the reptile down to one of the racks and moves on to the next person. Ann and Ryuji are last. Once Nycauri's been sent off to find their suit, Iwai turns to the two.

“It's good to see you,” Iwai says, placing a hand atop either of their heads. It's embarrassing but neither one of them protest. “You guys got so big.”

“Well yeah, tends to happen when you grow up,” Ann steps forward to be measured. “I didn't know you had joined AMES. You just sorta... Disappeared.”

“Yeah, well, only my old man and Kaoru knew about it.”

“How is Kaoru?”

“He's fine,” Iwai says, grinning broadly. “He's finishing up his last year of uni. He's gonna go to work for AMES ground to develop new ships and tech. I'm damn proud of him.”

“Congratulations!” Ann enthuses, stepping to the side so Ryuji can have his measurements taken.

“How's your mom?” Iwai asks him, knocking the back of his hand against Ryuji's false leg. “'N how's your leg holdin' up?”

“It's fine. Mom's doing well for herself. She had real good harvests this past couple'a years. She's started adding in tomatoes and things like that. M'leg is fine,” Ryuji holds still while Iwai measures, his eyes scanning the racks of EVA suits. “So did you make all those?”

“Huh? Nah, I just do repairs and stuff in my free time. Somehow I landed myself the position of suit keeper. It's a pain in the ass.”

“I dunno. Seems cool to me.”

“Didn't expect to see you in AMES,” Iwai comments as he finishes the last measurement. “I sense a story behind this. We can talk it over some time. Rack 7, size 69. Go try your suit on.”

The EVA suit weighs more than Ryuji imagined it would, though that's no real surprise. It has to be able to keep out the harsh conditions of space. The material is sleek black, lined at the edges in bright green for better visibility. Patches bearing the AMES logo are sewn into the upper portion of the sleeves. 'Alliance of Emergency Medical Services' is written out over the back.

“I wonder if the suits glow in the dark,” He remarks to Shiho as they wait in line for the dressing rooms. She rolls her eyes at him, but he catches her smiling when she thinks he's not looking.

The EVA has two parts, the inner lining to help insulate and the outer layer to seal in oxygen. The lining of the suit is made of a thick rubbery material that clings tightly to Ryuji's body. He expects it to overheat him inside the stuffy dressing room, but the effect is the opposite. A much-needed relief as he begins working his way into the second layer.

The material of the outer shell is noticeably heavier. He worries it'll make movement cumbersome with all its extra layers. As he stretches the material over his body, it contours to his shape. The fit of it is unexpectedly flattering and since no one is around, he admires himself in the mirror. For the briefest moment, he wonders what Commander Kurusu looks like in his EVA. The imagined image has Ryuji's face feeling hot. He's sure he'll find out soon enough.

Fuck.

“These suits are amazing,” Ann comments as Ryuji steps free of the dressing room. She's completely dressed up, helmet and all, with a huge grin on her face. “I can't wait to get out there.”

“Me too,” Ryuji agrees, tapping the back of his fist against the glass covering her face. “The suits we used for training back on Kaneshiro were nothing like this.”

“AMES does a lot of experimental development,” Shiho explains as she approaches. Ann is all smiles as she takes in the sight of Shiho in the sleek suit.

“Careful Ann, I think you're droolin',” Ryuji teases, bouncing away when she swings her elbow out at him. Shiho seems oblivious to the implications of his joke.

“Ann, you look so professional in that. I feel kinda silly.”

“What?! No way, Shiho you look great!” Ann insists, slipping her helmet off of her head. Her hair is a mess and Shiho reaches out to smooth it for her.

“Both of you look great,” Ryuji wraps one arm around Shiho's shoulders and the other around Ann's. With a lady on either side, he saunters back towards the group. Iwai is gathering the last of the stragglers for the trip back to the entry room. Once there, he begins a brief lesson on the care and keeping of their new EVA suits.

“These suits are designed to be sturdy. This does not mean indestructible,” Iwai explains. He crosses his arms over his chest. “When you come back from a mission, training session, stroll through the hallway, you need to inspect them for wear. Check the seams, check the material, the oxygen ports. If something looks broken, you get your ass down here to get it checked. Same goes for your helmet. Knicks, cracks, loose screws, I want to know about it, so we can fix it before it becomes a problem.”

“Any questions?”

When no one asks, Iwai continues.

“These suits need to be kept in good condition. You're going to sweat in them, people are going to bleed on them, they're going to get dirty. We have specially designed washing machines. They're located in the locker rooms and the laundry rooms. They need to be washed after each use. No exceptions. If you bring me a suit for repair and it smells like someone died inside it, expect to have your ass chewed out.”

“Questions?”

Again, no one dares to ask.

“Everyone looks nice,” The doors slide open and Commander Kurusu walks through them. He comes to stand at the head of the group, next to Iwai. The two men lean close to one another to speak privately.

“What'chu think they're talkin' about?” Ryuji asks Ann.

“How should I know?” She retorts, shrugging out from under his arm. “Put your arms down and stand straight.”

“What? Why?”

“Because our Commander is here?”

“Oh,” The thought had honestly never occurred to Ryuji. He drops his other arm down off of Shiho's shoulders and straightens his back.

“We're going to have you keep the EVA suits on for the rest of today,” The Commander says, passing his eyes over the assembled group again. “They do add about fifty-plus pounds of extra weight to your body. You may not notice it too much now but by the end of the day, you will. You'll wear them a lot during your first week of training.”

“I'd like you to follow me. We're going to start working on anti-gravity training.”

The Commander sweeps past the group and the assembly follows.

“This is kind of exciting, yeah?” Wes asks as he drops back to walk next to Ryuji. “You did Defense Force training before this, right?”

“Yeah, but it's been a while. I was living as a civvie,” Ryuji explains. “Graduated the program early but I couldn't get a spot on a ship. That was two years ago.”

“Ah, so you're a bit out of shape then.”

“Probably. I was never real good at anti-grav stuff to begin with. I bet I suck now."

“Don't worry, we'll get you back up to speed,” The older man assures him, though it does nothing to diminish Ryuji's doubt.

The group heads up a floor to the training wing. Here, there's a surplus of different training rooms, a few of which are already in use. Through a glass window, Ryuji can see a team working inside an anti-gravity chamber. They're collecting colorful foam balls with a seriousness that makes him want to laugh.

“When do we get to do that?” He asks the Commander.

“Probably today,” Kurusu says, pausing to gaze through the window. “That's Narukami's team.”

“For real?!”

“Mmhmm. They're one of the best teams on this ship. They've got a very high save to loss ratio.”

“What about our team?”

“We'll have to see. This team has taken on a lot of new recruits so our percentage is off,” The Commander turns away from the viewing window to continue down the hallway. Ryuji can see it again, a deep set tension that aligns itself in his shoulders. It was the same at the orientation.

“When a crew takes on a lot of new members, it can only mean one thing,” Wes says softly and Ryuji nods his head in agreement.

They're only there because other people died.

The training room is about the size of a standard basketball court. A large pane of glass separates the entry space from the anti-gravity chamber. They all crowd around the glass, giving the Commander room to reach the control panel on the wall. He chooses from a list of pre-set conditions and there's a soft whoosh as the chamber adjusts.

“Who wants to go first?” Kurusu asks, his back still turned away from the group.

“This one will go,” Ogimbo volunteers. Ryuji is secretly relieved, he didn't want to have to offer to go himself. He's got to make a name for himself, but anti-gravity training certainly won't be the way to do it.

Ogimbo dons his helmet, it's shaped to fit the unique contours of his head, leaving plenty of room for his horns. The only way into the chamber is through an airlock. He steps inside it and the door seals behind him. There's a short countdown before the door on the other side opens up.

He begins to rise up off the floor, but he keeps his balance. He kicks off the side of the airlock and sails out into the center of the room. For being so large, he moves about the space with confidence. It's clear that he's well practiced. Using the control panel on the right sleeve of his EVA suit, he adjusts the suit's weight and pressure. Slowly his body sinks down to the floor and for a few moments, he moonwalks around the space.

“Very nice,” The Commander compliments, speaking into his radio so that Ogimbo can hear him. He turns towards the group, waiting to see who will choose to go next.

“Might as well,” Wes says with a shrug, stepping up to the airlock. Like Ogimbo, once he's inside the chamber he moves with precision and skill. Nycauri is next and when they enter the chamber they perform an impressive triple somersault. They land as gently as a dancer on the floor, standing beside Ogimbo and Wes.

“I'll go next,” Ryuji offers on impulse, stepping up to the airlock with trepidation. He moves through the first door and waits while the gravity inside the airlock adjusts. He can feel the moment his body begins to rise, his arms lifting up and away from his sides. He scrambles to adjust his suit's pressure using his wrist display.

Within seconds he's stuck to the ceiling of the airlock.

“What the heck is he doing?!” Comes a brash voice through the radio. Commander Mona has entered the training room, all done up in his tiny EVA suit. He comes to stand at the glass, watching as Ryuji air swims to try and push himself out into the gravity chamber. It doesn't go well. His weightless body rolls over so that he's face up against the ceiling of the airlock.

“I've got you,” Wes says, sailing over towards him. He peels Ryuji down and holds onto him to keep him from floating away.

“I got it,” Ryuji grumbles as he finally finds the pressure and weight options. His feet sink to the ground and he stands up mostly of his own will. There's still the sensation of weightlessness and he's definitely not liking the way it makes his stomach feel. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and follows Wes out into the middle of the room.

“We'll work on it,” Commander Kurusu tells him, a calm voice coming in over the radio. It's meant to be reassuring but instead, it makes Ryuji all the more ashamed. He keeps his eyes trained on the ground as Shiho takes her turn and then Ann right after. They come to stand at his side, but out of respect for him, they offer no visible sign of comfort. His pride is hurt enough already without the girls making overt shows of sympathy. He appreciates it. Their nearby presence is enough for now.

There's only Mishima and Saavas left. Ryuji glances up to see them discussing who will go next. Commander Mona decides for them, pushing Mishima towards the airlock. He steps inside the pressure chamber, his eyes wide with distress. If Ryuji was nervous, Mishima is downright scared.

When the second door opens, Mishima has a similar experience to Ryuji. He doesn't seem to know how to adjust his suit to compensate for the low level of gravity. He drifts out of the airlock and up towards the high ceiling, limbs flailing frantically. He hits the roof, bounces back down, and then sticks at the top. His breath is rapidly fogging up the glass on his helmet. Ryuji realizes with alarm that he hasn't got his oxygen flowing.

“Shit!” Ryuji hisses into his radio. “He doesn't have his oxygen on. We gotta go get him, like, right now!”

Before anyone can move to do so, Commander Kurusu's hand is on the control panel. The gravity in the chamber begins to change, lowering Mishima in a slow descent. The moment he touches down on the floor, Ryuji's on him. He unlocks the helmet from Mishima's EVA suit and rips it off of his head. The slender man struggles for a moment with the sudden rush of air in his lungs. He coughs a few times, rolls onto his side, and vomits all over the floor.

This is a problem that Ryuji wasn't expecting. He glances up to see both Kurusu and Mona approaching. He takes this as a cue to step back and away. He'll let the professionals handle things.

At least that's his thought before Commander Kurusu barks at him to, “Help us get him to his feet.”

Ryuji skirts around the mess on the floor and hooks his shoulders up under one of Mishima's arms. He helps the man to his feet, balancing his wobbly body. He hopes, no prays, that Mishima won't throw up again.

“Let's get him to Med Bay,” Commander Kurusu says, ducking up under his other arm. “Morgana, take the others to another room and keep practicing. I'll be back shortly.”

“Copy that,” Morgana replies, gathering up the startled remainder of the team. Ryuji and the Commander drag Mishima out of the room and towards the transport elevator. He's more or less dead weight, his feet are dragging over the floor behind him. He must have passed out. Between that and his heavy EVA suit, it takes a lot of strength for the two of them to get him all the way down to the lift.

“I'll tell Takemi we're on our way,” The Commander says, freeing a hand so that he can switch channels on his radio. “Commander Kurusu to Med Bay.”

“Commander?” Takemi's voice crackles inside Ryuji's ear.

“Had a little problem during anti-grav training. I'm bringing Yuuki Mishima up. Please have a team on stand-by.”

“Copy. We'll be ready for you.”

“You got him?” Kurusu asks, glancing sideways at Ryuji.

“I got him,” Ryuji assures the Commander. He hooks an arm around the small man's waist just to be sure. It would be embarrassing if they dropped him.

“Medical Bay,” The Commander calls out to the computer. It repeats his request back to him and beeps in confirmation. When the doors open, Ryuji and the Commander haul Mishima as far as the waiting room. Takemi appears with her team. Nurses take the unconscious man from them, lifting him onto a gurney. “He forgot to switch his oxygen on before stepping into the chamber.”

“We'll take it from here,” Takemi sweeps her arm through the air, motioning for the nurses to wheel Mishima away. She stays behind for a moment, arms crossed over her chest, eyeing Ryuji. “Anything else I should know?”

“Well he threw up,” Ryuji offers, earning a derisive snort from the doctor.

“Yes, thank you.”

“What? Should I have not told'ya that?”

“It's fine,” Takemi sighs, shaking her head. “Also, I was asking Commander Kurusu, not you.”

“Nothing else so far.” The Commander confirms, flashing Ryuji a sympathetic look. Takemi turns on her heels and walks away, following after Mishima and the nurses.

“She's prickly today.” He grumbles, affronted by the doctor's harsh behavior.

“That's pretty much standard for her.”

“For real?!”

“Mmm. She's a tough person to get along with.”

“Are you two close or somethin'?” Ryuji asks, then immediately takes it back. “Sorry, I shouldn't pry into your personal life.”

“I don't mind,” The Commander pushes his hands down into his pockets and shrugs his shoulders. “We knew each other from before I joined AMES. During my time as a civilian, she was my primary doctor. When I joined up, so did she. Probably wanted to keep an eye on me.”

“Because of- Y'know- Your illness?”

“Yes. AMES gave her the tools she needed to research it. She's been developing new forms of treatment and new drugs. It's thanks to her that my case hasn't gotten any worse than it is.”

The two fall silent. Ryuji isn't sure what to say in reply. The Commander seems suddenly distracted. They linger in the waiting room for a few minutes.

“You did well,” Kurusu says, shifting restlessly from one foot to the other. He lifts his face up and for the first time, Ryuji's struck by how young he looks. They're not that far apart in age and yet the Commander seems much older. What sorts of things did he go through in order to become that way? “You reacted quickly in an emergency situation. Even those with more experience than you hesitated.”

“I just reacted, Sir. I didn't put a lot of thought into it.”

“It means you have a strong protective instinct. That's something that's impossible to train.”

“Yeah, well, I've had my share of bullshit.”

“Use that to your benefit,” Kurusu speaks in a serious tone, his eyes burning as they meet with Ryuji's. “Come on, we should be getting back.”

The Commander turns to head back towards the lift. Ryuji watches him go, momentarily mystified by the other man's words.

\---

By lunchtime, everyone in the new recruit group is exhausted.

They spent the rest of the morning training in the anti-gravity chamber. As promised, they did exercises with the foam balls Ryuji had seen Narukami's team using. It quickly turned into a competition to see who could collect the most. Morgana had attempted to reign in their enthusiasm and act as a referee, but they all ignored him.

The game turned fierce and they all started resorting to tackling and body-slamming. Their EVA suits protected them from the worst of it. It was a godsend for when they would accidentally hit too hard and send someone spinning off into a wall.

Three hours at such a low level of gravity had left them all feeling pretty good about themselves. Once they stepped free of the chamber, however, the weight of their EVA suits became more apparent. The bruises sustained during their game also began to hurt a lot more. Ryuji, in particular, had a sore spot on his hip where Ann had headbutted him with her helmet. The inside lining of his suit rubbed against it, creating a near constant ache.

“I don't even think I can eat,” Ryuji bemoaned. He gingerly set his head down on the table next to his tray, groaning when it pulled at his sore shoulders.

“Rough first day?” Yusuke asked, coming to join the group from the lunch line.

“Awww mannn, you got no idea.”

“The first day in EVA is always the hardest,” Haru slides in next to Yusuke. Her expression is somewhere between empathetic and amused as she glances around the table. “I promise it gets easier.”

“Can it get easier now rather than later?” Ann grumbles. She's currently standing behind Shiho, messaging the other woman's shoulders. Ryuji rolls his head to the other side so that he can wag his eyebrows at her. She pretends not to see it, but her cheeks begin to slowly color.

“Shiho, right?” Haru asks, catching her attention. “The two of us are going to be working together in medical today.”

“Really?” Shiho sits up, jostling Ann. “I'm actually really excited to get started!”

“I'll show you the ropes!”

“You ready for pilot training?” Ryuji asks Ann as she comes to sit on the other side of him. Haru and Shiho have broken off on their own conversation, much to Ann's chagrin. The mention of their pilot training seems to cheer her up.

“Totally!” Ann enthuses, stealing Ryuji's sandwich off of his tray. “If you aren't going to eat this, it's mine.”

“Go for it.”

She makes a big show of setting it back down, her eyes wide with shock, “What? Did you poison it? You hate sharing your food.”

“Ugh, I know,” Ryuji presses his forehead down against the table and shuts his eyes. “I'm still not feeling super great after all those injections.”

“Maybe you should go to Med-”

“No way in hell am I going down there. I'll eat later.”

“Well at least drink some water,” Yusuke interrupts, gesturing towards Ryuji's glass. “Dehydration is a common cause of space sickness.”

“Huh. Good to know.”

“That's why there aren't a lot of drink options,” Ann says around a mouthful of sandwich. “Have you tried the coffee? It's absolutely dreadful.”

“Welcome to space livin'.” Ryuji snarks, earning a soft bubble of laughter from several of those seated at the table. He sits up, grinning widely. “Finish eating, Ann. We're going down to the Hangar Bay.”

\---

“You two ready for your first Medivac lesson?” Ohya meets up with Ryuji and Ann on their way to the ship's main hangar.

“Oh yeah! We were on our way down!” Ryuji's lunchtime exhaustion has fallen away to the back of his mind. It's been over two years since he was able to fly anything beyond a standard hover car. He can't wait to get behind the control stick of a ship again, even if it's only a Medivac shuttle. “You're gonna show us the hangar bay, yeah?”

“Sure am. Follow me!” Ohya overflows with enthusiasm as she leads them towards the back of the ship. The hangar itself is massive. The moment they step inside Ryuji is overwhelmed by it. “Well, this is it. What do you think?”

“Oh mannn, it's huge!” Ryuji steps beyond the doors, turning in a full circle to take it all in. “Holy shit, is the back airlock door open? Why aren't we being sucked into space?”

“There's a force field, dummy,” Ann goads, jabbing him playfully in the arm.

“Force field?” Ryuji asks, glancing over his shoulder at Ohya.

“Mmmhmm. During an emergency, we need to be able to dispatch as many Medivacs as possible. It's easier if they can simply go through the force field vs having to go through an actual airlock.” The older woman explains. Ryuji sees something flash within the opening, a quick flicker of glimmering light.

“That's sounds so dangerous.”

“Hey, it's been working for years now. I don't question it.” Ohya motions for them to follow, stepping forward into the heart of the room. They're on the ground floor, along with half a dozen ships. “All teams that are on call for emergencies today have their ships out. We call this the grab and go floor.”

“For obvious reasons,” Ann says as she swivels her head back and forth to get a good look at everything. Ryuji is looking too, trying to memorize the layout.

“What the hell is that?” He asks, pointing upwards towards the leftmost wall. It's covered by honeycomb shaped doors that make up a grid pattern over its entire surface.

“That, Sunshine, is the Hive,” Ohya gestures widely with her arms. Suiting name. “Each one of those little combs contains a Medivac shuttle or an S'n'R vehicle.”

“Search and rescue,” Ann clarifies to Ryuji. “Those are the one man ships that Commander Kurusu mentioned.”

“Oh man, that's so cool,” Ryuji breathes. The Hive's surface runs from floor to ceiling, and he has to tilt his head all the way back to see the top of it. It's enough room for over thirty ships. Maybe more. He doesn't have time to count them all.

“Come on, let me show you how to get up there,” Ohya leads them up a flight of stairs and into a lift. “All the 'combs' are attached to a hallway. It gives the crew easy access to the ships during large scale emergencies. We can launch the Medivacs straight from the hive without clogging up air traffic.”

“It's totally different from the Defense Force,” Ryuji comments, as they step free of the lift. “They have a sort of duct system that the ships launch from.”

“Probably keeps them clear of enemy fire. We don't see a lot of that here in AMES.”

They arrive at a door labeled with a bright yellow #13. Ohya pats it affectionately, turning around to face Ryuji and Ann.

“Behind this door is Medivac 13. She's my pride and joy,” Ohya scans her key-card through the reader and the doors hiss open. The shuttle looks like any other Medivac vehicle, sleek black with a bright yellow stripe running down the middle. As Ryuji and Ann step closer, they notice some particular enhancements.

“What are those pointy things on top?” Ryuji asks, referring to the two sharp pieces of metal welded to the top of the ship.

“Ears.”

“...Ears...?”

“Cat ears,” Ohya clarifies, snickering at some joke that only she seems to understand. Ann and Ryuji exchange a glance, circling the ship a few times. There's something familiar about it, and he can't put his finger on it until he sees the blue tint of the headlights.

“Wait, this ship-” Ann stammers for a moment, looking the entire thing up and down. “It looks sort of like Commander Mona.”

Ohya's voice is sing-song as she says, “Got it in one, Sweetheart!”

“You modified it to look like that cat?” Ryuji can't imagine why she would want to do something like that. She laughs like the answer should be obvious. Like he's too stupid to understand. “What? I don't get it!”

“When Mona joined, I couldn't help thinking to myself, 'He looks just like the Medivac shuttles!'. Or rather, the Medivac shuttles look something like him. I couldn't help myself! It's kinda cute! Don'tcha think?”

“Er-”

“C'monnnn, you kids are so boring,” Ohya shakes her head, opening the shuttle's back hatch. “Anyway, let's take a look at the inside.”

Ann and Ryuji follow her in. Unlike passenger shuttles, the seating area is really more of a large open space. There are no rows of chairs, the only place to sit down is on small benches that fold down from the wall. Brightly colored spine-boards are hung above them on the wall. The overhead bins hold all the medical supplies. Ryuji opens one of them up, shocked by the vast array of different bandages inside it. He's never seen so much gauze in his entire life.

“Part of a pilot's job is keeping the Medivac shuttles organized and full of supplies,” Ohya says. She pulls her pen-like ComTab from her collar and opens it up. A list of items comes up on the display. “This is the Medivac Supply Manifest, MSM. We go through this list weekly. You have to check for missing supplies or throw out things that are nearing expiration.”

“We also run through it at the end of every outing, even if your ship doesn't pick up any patients. The last thing we need is to show up to help and without the tools for the job. Having what we need is the difference between life and death. If even a single band-aid goes missing, we have to know about it.”

“Fresh supplies can be picked up from the Med Bay. You carry the list down, they'll pack up what you need, and you bring it back here. All items need to be scanned in using your ComTab. Doing that will update the manifest digitally. Then it's all lather, rinse, repeat. I hope you like grunt work because you're going to be doing a lot of it.”

“We can handle it,” Ann says and Ryuji nods his head in agreement. He walks around to look inside a few more of the overhead bins, familiarizing himself with the contents. Ohya shows them around, opening every cabinet and storage box. There are all kinds of things stowed away all over the place, extra EVA suits, changes of clothes, cots.

“Now this up here is the main point of interest,” Ohya scans her keycard. The airlock door between the cabin and the cockpit slides open. This part of the ship is smaller, with three passenger seats on either side behind the two main pilot seats. “This is where the crew rides during emergencies. There's usually enough seats, but rarely someone has to ride in the back.”

Ryuji lingers in the doorway, his body vibrating with the effort of holding himself back. He wants to rush forward, to park himself in the captain's chair and begin seeing what the controls do.

“You wanna take her for a spin?” Ohya asks him, leaning over to speak the words into his ear. She's on the right side, so her voice is clear and it sends a shiver down his spine. He glances sideways and she breaks out laughing.

“You should see your face right now!” She hoots, slapping a hand against the center of his back. It jostles him forward. She's stronger than she looks if the stinging in his back is anything to go by. “Go on. Go take a seat. You too, Ann.”

Ann graciously allows Ryuji to sit in the pilot's seat while she rides shotgun. Ohya seats herself directly behind him so that she can give him directions as needed. The Medivac is similar to ships he's flow in the past. He needs to know the basic controls and then the rest will work itself out.

He hopes.

Ohya leans forward to press a button on the console. It connects the ship's communications to Flight Control. “Attention _Phantom_ Hangar Bay, this is Ohya from Task Team: Thieves.”

“We read you,” A voice replies, echoing through the Medivac shuttle's overhead speakers.

“I'm training our new pilots. We're going to take Medivac 13 out.”

_-Copy that. Standing by.-_

“Okay Ryuji,” Ohya moves back to sit down. Her arm comes around to point at different buttons and switches on the console. “Go ahead and press that to close the back hatch. Once it's sealed up you can start the engine. Flight Control will help guide you out.”

Ryuji takes a deep breath. He closes the hatch and starts the shuttle. He can feel the engine kick on as it rises away from the floor. The door over comb-13 spins open, giving them an aerial view of the hangar bay. They're seven floors up and it's a long way down.

“Announce your name to them over the radio,” Ann suggests in a soft voice. “Give them your task team name as well.”

It's embarrassing to be guided by Ann, and honestly this is all things he should know. Living as a civilian for two years did him no favors. He feels like he'll never catch up with the others.

“This is uh, Ryuji Sakamoto, Task Team: Thieves,” Ryuji stammers. He clears his throat as he waits for a reply.

_-Nice to meet you, Ryuji. You have a go from Flight Control. Please bring Medivac 13 out.-_

Ryuji adjusts his grip on the controls and disengages the break. His heart pounds wildly inside his chest as he inches the shuttle free of it's comb. It hovers in the open air of the hangar. His pulse roars inside his ears, so loud that he almost misses the next set of instructions.

_-Medivac 13 is cleared for launch. Please proceed through the force field.-_

“Copy that.” He replies and this time his voice is clear. He moves them out into the center of the room. Virtual guidelines come on over the front window to simulate a runway.

“Go ahead and turn on the shuttle's shield. It will help you go through easier,” Ohya suggests. He flips the switch and a computerized voice comes on overhead.

_> > Shields engaged. Power level 100. <<_

“Go on. Take her out.”

Ryuji pushes the control stick forward, and they soar toward the back exit. There's a small tug against the hull as they pass through the barrier. Ryuji sucks in a deep breath of air and kicks on the shuttle's thrusters. The ship balances itself and reaches a base speed, gliding gently through open space. The distance seems to stretch on forever. Shock drains from his body, leaving only giddy delight behind. He's smiling so wide it hurts. Ohya slaps the back of his chair and rises to her feet.

“That was perfect!” She tells him and he glows from the praise. “Pop this baby on cruise control and keep flying.”

Keep flying.

That? That he can do.

\---

“Tired?” Ryuji asks Ann. The two of them finished dinner and came straight from the mess hall for their First Aid class. They're seated along with the other new recruits, waiting for the class to begin. Everyone in the newbie group is there, sans Mishima who is still in Med Bay and Shiho who was given the option to skip. 

“Extremely.” She mumbles back, leaning her head over to rest against one of his shoulders. Their first day in EVA was exhausting and everyone is ready to take the suits off. 

“You were pretty amazin' out there today in the shuttle,” Ryuji rests his head on top of hers. He sighs contentedly. “You picked up on the controls faster than I did.”

“No way! You were the amazing one. There's not a ship in this galaxy that you can't fly.”

“Jeeze. Ya don't gotta embarrass me.”

“I mean it.”

“I know ya do. That's why it's so damn embarrassin'.”

“We apologize for being late,” Commander Kurusu says as he enters the room, trailed by Dr. Takemi. "Our meeting with the Captain ran over. I know you're all tired, but please give your attention to Dr. Takemi."

“Is there anyone here who's afraid of needles?” Takemi asks, parking herself at the front of the room. She's brought a small flat cart of supplies with her.

Ryuji's horrified to find out that she's the one conducting the evening's basic first aid refresher. He already doesn't like where it's going. He still hates needles, maybe even more after her assault on him. He bites his tongue and remains silent, though her eyes flick in his direction.

“Good, because tonight we're going to learn how to insert IV lines.”

“Ugh, Shiho is so lucky that she got out of this,” Ann whines softly to Ryuji. He nods his head in agreement, he'd literally rather be anywhere else. Well not _anywhere_ , but definitely not here. “In what world are we going to be doing IV lines anyways?”

“Ann, shh,” Ryuji whispers to her. She's tired and it's making her goofy.

“Something to share with the class?” Takemi asks, her eyes locked on Ryuji. He sits up a bit straighter in his seat.

“I actually got a question,” He says, trying to cover for both himself and Ann. As a gesture of goodwill he raises his hand, though it puts a strain on his sore shoulders.

“Go on.”

“Don'tcha gotta use specific size needles?”

“That's...actually a good question,” Takemi looks at him with wide eyes. She clearly wasn't expecting him to have a question prepared. Honestly, he wasn't either. “It depends on what you're using the needle for. If you need to give a blood transfusion or administer fluids rapidly, a larger gauge is needed. It's hard to force fluid through a small hole.”

“On the other hand, sometimes it's more about finding the right size vein. If you need a big needle you need a big vein. No way around that. If not, you could cause the vein to hemorrhage.”

“There's also the difference in species. You might encounter a race we don't have the equipment for. They might not have vascular systems that work in the way a human's do. If you're ever unsure, it's best to consult with someone else on your team. Sometimes stabilizing a patient and then passing them off is better than taking a chance.”

“Got it.” Ryuji feels overwhelmed already. How is he supposed to know everything? He didn't train for this.

“Don't worry,” Wes assures him in a soft voice. “Us Defense Force guys will have to learn as we go. Right?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

The older man's words are reassuring. At least he's not the only one who has to start from scratch. Ryuji pays close attention to Takemi's lesson, occasionally taking notes on his ComTab. It earns him a few surprised looks from Ann, but he ignores them.

“Commander Kurusu has graciously offered to act as our guinea pig. Try not to poke him too much,” Takemi pulls a chair over and the Commander seats himself on it. “Who wants to go first?”

“You want us to try on a live person?” Savaas doesn't hide his surprise and it echos the feelings of everyone in the room.

“The best way to learn is by doing. This is how the medical staff learned as well, only they practiced on each other. I'll walk each of you through, step by step.”

“Don't worry about hurting me,” The Commander assures them. “I'm pretty used to needle sticks.”

“You've got a weird fascination with pain,” Takemi scoffs. He rolls his head back some to flash his teeth at her.

“So do you think they're sleeping together?” Ann leans in to whisper the words into Ryuji's ear.

“The hell?!” He shoots back, shocked by her suggestion. Although it does seem to be a possibility. The Commander himself had said dating was accepted as long as you didn't work together. “They're high ranking officers. It'd be pretty dicey to have that kind of relationship, wouldn't it?”

“Shiho says stuff like that happens all the time.”

“They have a wedding chapel,” Wes chimes into the conversation. He seems amused by Ryuji's flustered reactions. The comment about weddings makes it even worse. “There was a running joke in the Defense Force. It was something like, oh yeah. Defense Force officers get married to their job while AMES officers marry each other.”

“For real?!” Ryuji's outburst catches the attention of Takemi.

“Thanks for volunteering,” She says, gesturing for him to come to the front of the room. He shoots a dirty look at Ann and Wes and then rises up out of his chair. His EVA suit feels like lead against his body. He really wishes he hadn't of had to stand up.

“I'm sorry in advance,” Ryuji tells the Commander. “I'll probably mess up a lot.”

“Don't worry about it. I know what I signed on for,” The Commander begins to roll up his sleeve. It's hard not to notice the way his muscles flex. He's got strong arms. Ryuji tries not to stare but his eyes are automatically drawn there. He hopes it passes for him being an attentive student.

Takemi does instruct him, takes him through the process of sanitizing the area to get it prepared. She shows him how to find the veins and advises him on where to put the needle head in at. The entire time Ryuji's face feels hot, he knows the other officers are watching him.

“Y'ready, Sir?” Ryuji hovers the needle over the Commander's arm, still tentative about inserting it.

“I'm ready.” He looks so sincere that Ryuji feels almost guilty.

The first stick is all wrong, he can tell right away that he's slipped up. The Commander's hand clenches and his eyebrows twitch slightly. He's keeping his face straight but it's clear that it hurt.

“Keep the sharp tip of the needle turned down,” Takemi says when he goes in for his second try. “If it's facing up it catches and tears the skin.”

“Don't overthink it,” The Commander suggests. “Take a deep breath and follow Takemi's instructions.”

“Got it.” Ryuji does as he's told. He sucks in some air and tries to clear his mind. The second time is better, though still ineffective. He's over the initial shock of stabbing human flesh, but his technique is still lacking. “Shi-...Shoot. Sorry.”

“Third time's the charm. Try again.”

The third time is the charm. The needle goes in the way it's supposed to, connecting with the vein.

“Very nice,” Takemi praises him, but her words seem far away. The blood that backflows into the tubing is black and it shocks Ryuji so bad that he freezes. He can feel his own blood draining from his face, his head dizzy from the sensation.

“That's normal,” Kurusu says in a low tone. Ryuji's eyes snap up to meet his. “You don't have to be afraid.”

“S-Sorry,” He stammers, scrambling to recover. He feels sick. “It surprised me. That's all.”

“I guess I should have warned you,” Takemi mumbles, tuning in. Ryuji spares her a glance over his shoulder. “You alright? You're looking a little pale.”

“I'm fine, really. I'll go ahead and remove it now.”

Despite his insistence, his hands shake as he takes out the line. It's impossible that the Commander and Takemi don't notice. He hopes no one else is able to tell.

It's not a problem, he reminds himself. It's fine. He can't catch Fade from working around the Commander. Not even when working with his blood. It's fine. It's fine. There's nothing to be afraid of.

It's definitely not fine.

His outburst at the orientation briefing comes back to haunt him. They were big words for someone who's now cowering in the face of reality. Takemi has to help him finish everything off, his hands numb and fumbling. When he's finally allowed to go back to his seat, he avoids the Commander's gaze for the rest of the lesson.

\---

The washing area for EVA suits is a small space inside the locker room. Commander Kurusu goes with the men to show them how to work the machines. They look like large clear tubes that run from floor to ceiling. There's space enough inside for a single suit and helmet. Ryuji watches in amazement as white vapor fills the tube holding his EVA, cleaning and sanitizing it. The science behind it is a mystery, but he can appreciate the aesthetics.

“Easy enough, right?” The Commander asks him, causing his shoulders to jump. The other guys have already gone off to the showers, uninterested in watching the cleaning process.

“It's pretty cool,” Ryuji tells him, keeping his eyes trained on the tubes. “It's weird, but I find things like this real interestin'.”

“You did a year of engineering at the academy. Why not go into that branch?”

“I could'a and I probably would have liked it, but I'm not math smart. Everyone else looks at things and sees formulas. I look at somethin' like this and it looks more like a puzzle. Piecing things together is only part of the job. No one was ever gonna take me seriously if I couldn't produce a formula to back up what I'd built.”

Ryuji laughs mirthfully and adds, “That, and I prefer flyin'. Building things is a hobby, but flyin' is like, my dream job.”

“Ohya said you did well today.”

“I did okay.”

“She wouldn't say it if she didn't mean it.” The Commander's voice is low with certainty. “Look at me.”

“Excuse me, sir?” Ryuji moves his head to offer a partial glance. “It's not an order, right?”

“It's a request. I prefer to face the person I'm speaking to.”

Ryuji gives in, bringing his eyes over to meet the Commander's. He's wearing a neutral expression. His glasses shine in the overhead lights.

“Sorry about what happened.” Ryuji offers.

“In class you mean?”

“Yeah. I feel stupid.”

“Don't be. You're not the first one to be shocked by it.”

“Yeah, but I was the one that gave that big speech about being fine with it.” Ryuji leans his back against a nearby wall and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Give me your hand,” Kurusu says, shifting the conversation off track again.

“Excuse me?”

“Come on.”

When Ryuji looks again, the Commander is pulling his shirt off. Scandalized, Ryuji throws his head over his shoulder. He doesn't know why, but he feels the need to double check that they're alone. 

“What are you doing?!” Ryuji asks in exasperation, his arms still firmly tucked against his chest. “I mean, at least take a guy out on a few dates before you start takin' your clothes off-”

The Commander snorts in amusement, “Give me your hand, Sakamoto.”

“That an order?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Abuse of power,” Ryuji grumbles as he offers his right hand. The Commander cups both of his around it, they're icy cold. He presses Ryuji's palm down to lay flat over the black mark cutting across his chest. Ryuji once again glances over his shoulder, his head spinning with confusion. Is this allowed? Is he allowed to just go touching his commanding officer's chest? “W-What the hell?”

“The problem has nothing to do with my Fade status.”

“Er, what? What problem?”

“It's not my illness that scared you in class,” The Commander's voice is very low in tone. Almost, sensual. Ryuji swallows hard, his eyes locked on the place where his hand is resting against the other man's body. “I think you're hemophobic.”

“What?” Ryuji's voice shoots up in pitch and his hand drops back down to his side. “Oh no, I'm not. I used to date a guy you know. Well, dating is a stretch but-”

“ _Hemo_ phobic, hemo,” Kurusu puts more emphasis on the word. Ryuji very rapidly realizes the mistake he's made and is horrified. He moves both of his hands up to place them over his face. Maybe if he presses down hard enough he can suffocate himself. “It's a fear of seeing blood.”

“Hold up. What makes you say that?”

“It's the way you reacted.”

“I thought people who were afraid of blood fainted at the sight of it. I sure as hell didn't faint.”

“Common misconception,” Kurusu shrugs his shoulders and begins to slip his shirt back on. “I've seen a lot of people with hemophobia over the years. Sometimes it's the mere sight of blood, sometimes it's the sight of blood flowing. There are all sorts of things that set people off.”

“I haven't ever had a problem with it before,” Ryuji insists. “I've seen all kinds of horror holo movies over the years. If I had a problem seein' blood then I probably wouldn't watch those.”

“It's different in real life. With a movie you know it's fake.”

“I'm tellin' you-”

“Ryuji,” Wes steps free of the main area of the locker room, clean and in a fresh change of clothes. His appearance causes both men to jolt. “You took so long that we went ahead and showered without you.”

“Oh, uh, that's fine. I was talking to the Commander,” Ryuji tucks his hands down into his pockets, trying to look casual. The last thing he needs is to set off the rumor mill. “You guys can go on ahead. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Have a good night.”

“Yeah man, you too.”

“I should go too,” The Commander says, smoothing his hands down the front of his shirt to straighten it. “Talk to Takemi if you need help with your hemophobia.”

“What, she gonna give me a magic pill or somethin'?” Ryuji jokes.

The Commander tries to look stern, but he's half smiling when he says, “No, but I hear she knows a thing or two about exposure therapy.”

“Sounds like BS.”

“Mind over matter. Get some sleep Sakamoto.”

“Night, Commander.”

Ryuji's not sure, but he thinks they might have just had a bonding moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How To Bond With Your New Commanding Officer-A novel by Ryuji Sakamoto
> 
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
> 
> Just for fun, I thought I'd list song recs that remind me of this fic or that I listen to while writing. Maybe someday if I'm not lazy I'll make a playlist. 
> 
> Chapter 1-2 Ryuji: High Times For Low Lives-The Griswolds  
> (This song just reminds me of Ryuji in general, buuuuut-...)


End file.
